Puppy Love
by Lukeprism
Summary: Because some of the best things in life are unexplainable. Claus/dthtransdoggy!Lucas, rating may go up. - Chapter FINAL: The Best Choice. COMPLETE.
1. I Found a Dog?

_**A/N: Sillyfic ahead. When on the fourth of July you can't light fireworks for fear of burning the city down, what do you do? You write, of course. This should be a fun little story to work on, so let's see how it goes! Eventual (light?) shounen-ai, so you've been warned. And the title sucks. I'm truly sorry about that.**_

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: I don't own Mother 3, or any of the Mother/EarthBound franchise.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—f—i—c—t—i —o—n—**

"Hey, Claus!"

The addressed redhead turned around at the sound of his name, eyes darting to and fro, searching for the person who'd called him. The boy looked about fifteen, with his hair framing his face evenly and a couple thick strands of hair hanging between his eyes. He wore a teal and yellow striped shirt and denim shorts complete with blue shoes on his feet. In his arms rested two brown paper bags filled to the brim with groceries, things like vegetables and fruits. In a moment he spotted who had said his name.

Fuel walked up to him with a small, friendly wave and a smile. Fuel wore a white tee shirt with red sleeves and brown shorts with black Vans on his feet. His chocolate brown hair was spiked in the front and he seemed glad to see the other boy. "Long time, no see, man!"

Claus shrugged, careful to keep his grip on the bags firm. "Yeah, just been busy. Was visiting my grandfather, helping him out with his animals and stuff."

Fuel nods. "Oh, yeah? That's cool. I've been helping my dad out a lot more lately...about time I started working full time now."

"True, true. Last time you fixed up our fences, you did a really good job." Claus had started walking again, Fuel strolling alongside him as they made their way to the southern edge of town, near where Claus lived.

Suddenly, Fuel nudged him in the ribs. "Hey, guess who?" he chuckled, motioning over to their left.

Claus looked over and immediately groaned. "No, just _no_," he said, speeding up his pace. "C'mon, either keep up or go, I'm not dealing with her today."

A little ways away, a pretty girl named Angie walked along, apparently having not noticed the duo speed away from her. She had long blonde hair up in a ponytail, and she wore a long-sleeve brown shirt and a frilly white skirt with pretty ivory sandals. She was a nice enough girl most of the time, but she could be overbearing at times and she had a huge obsession with the redhead, an obsession nearly everyone was aware of.

As soon as they were out of eyeshot, they slowed, Claus breathing a sigh of relief. Fuel laughed at him. "Dude, you can't keep running from her forever, you know," he said, only sniggering more when Claus glared at him with a side glance.

But the redhead sighed. "I know, I know," he replied, and if he had a free hand to rub his temples, he would have. "I just don't know how to deal with her. She's so...stubborn."

"True," Fuel admits, looking down at his feet and they continued along. "But that's why you've got to be stern and clear about your feelings or lack therof, and don't give her the wrong idea."

"I've tried that."

"Well, you obviously didn't do it right, did you?"

Insert an eyeroll here. "Okay. What would you say then?"

As they approach Claus' home, Fuel clears his throat. "Sweetie, I'm flattered by your affection. Now, I have to tell you something that I've needed to say for a long time, but was too nervous to say to your face...I love you," he cooed, closing his eyes and really getting into it.

Claus' mother, Hinawa, who was tending to the flowers right outside the home, turned around, smiled at them both and giggled. "Oh, Fuel, are you finally confessing to my son? That's wonderful," she said, her voice calm and soothing, nice to listen to. Her long brown hair was tied back at the moment and she wore a dirty white apron over her pink dress as well as gardener's gloves on her hands.

"Oh, _yes_, Mrs. Itoi, I just don't know what I'd do without your son here," he answered, wrapping his arms around Claus' middle from behind and squeezing.

Claus just shook his head. "I just don't see how that gets her to stop obsessing over me," he said, shaking the brunette from his middle and entering his home to put the groceries on the table inside.

Fuel smirked. "It doesn't." When his redheaded pal raised an eyebrow at him, he laughed. "You asked me what I would say to her."

That was a surprise; Claus' eyes widened. "_Woah_, wait. You like Angie?"

Fuel wasn't normally one to be embarrassed, but right now his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Well, yeah."

"Then _ask her out!_"

"It's not that simple."

Claus rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ it is. Okay, you don't say what you said to me back there, but something from the heart will work just fine. You're a nice guy, she'd go for you in a heartbeat," he said, walking back over to sit on the couch in the living room.

Fuel suddenly looked rather sullen. "You don't get it, man," he said, looking at Claus hard. "She's crazy about you. If I'm going to have even a slim chance of getting with her, I need you to cut her down."

Oh. _Oh._ So that's why Fuel was so adamant about him facing her already. Why didn't he figure that out sooner? By ignoring Angie, he was effectively ruining his best friend's chances at love. ...wow, that sounded like something out of a sappy romance novel. Either way, he felt bad now. "...Well, Fuel, I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." he trailed off, honestly not knowing what to say.

All Fuel does is laugh at this, again taking Claus aback. "Dude, you're fine. I just wonder how you can possibly not like her back."

Hinawa walks back into the house as Claus replies. "Well, if you were in my position, you'd probably understand."

She smiled as she unbagged the various groceries and placed them on the table. "Are you two having girl trouble?" she asked, rather amused by the thought.

Fuel rubbed the back of his neck roughly. "Sort of," he answered, chuckling.

Claus just sighed. "It's Angie," was his only response.

Hinawa giggled understandingly. "Oh, her again?" she observed, carefully folding the now-empty bags into small squares of brown paper. "She's polite and very pretty. I still don't see why you don't just give her a shot."

Claus put his face in his hands. "_Mom._"

And again she giggled. "Oh, honey, you know I'm just teasing you," she reassured, placing some of the produce on one side of the table and taking the rest to the refrigerator or cupboard, wherever they belonged. "Fuel, are you staying for dinner? I'm making salad tonight."

"Oh no thanks, Mrs. Itoi, I need to be going right now anyway," Fuel excused himself, heading towards the door. "Still haven't picked up my dad's parcel yet, and if I'm not back with it in twenty minutes, he'll wring my neck." He turned toward Claus. "Later, Claus."

Claus held up a hand. "See ya, Fuel."

As soon as the door closed, Hinawa proceeded to pull out the various pieces of equipment she'd need to put the salad together. "Claus, would you be a darling and grab the cucumbers for me?"

The redhead pushed himself up from the couch, stretching slightly. "Yeah, of course," he said, walking to the refrigerator to retrieve said vegetables while Hinawa prepped the lettuce. "Should I cut 'em too?"

"Yes, pretty thinly if you can."

So Claus does. Once he gets into it, he very nearly slices his fingertip off as a result of trying to cut them too fast, but turns down Hinawa's offer to switch roles and slows himself down. As soon as he's sliced up two of them, he piles them on top of the lettuce pile and hands his knife to his mother, who begins to cut up tomatoes.

As if on cue, Claus' father and Hinawa's husband, Flint, opens the front door and saunters into the house, taking his hat off and hanging it on the stand beside the door. He wore a dark brown long-sleeve shirt underneath his lighter-brown vest, which was quite dirty along with his jeans and leather boots. His brown hair was matted and sticking to his face, and he overall looked exhausted after a long day of working with their various animals and crops. He took off his boots and laid them by the door before wordlessly signaling that he would go and wash up before dinner.

Claus decided to make himself useful and set the table while Hinawa put the finishing touches on their meal and served it up. Each of their three spots got a napkin, a fork, and a glass of water. When Hinawa placed the plates on the table, Flint emerged from the master bedroom, having lost the vest and changed into a clean pair of jeans. They all sat at their respective spots, Hinawa and Flint beside one another on one side of the table and Claus by himself on the other.

After a quick, "Thanks for the meal," they all dug into the meal. It was quiet; they never really talked much at dinner anyway. The only thing that could be heard was the watery crunch of the vegetables in their mouths as they chewed their food and the occasional sip of a drink. Per usual, Claus was the first one done, so he gathered all their plates when they were done and took them to the sink to be washed. Flint grabbed the hammer and container of nails lying on the counter and headed upstairs to Claus's room.

Claus sat back at the table to finish off his glass of water, watching as his mother started the dishes. He yawned and took another sip when said mother gasped. He flinched and lowered his glass, afraid she might've cut herself on the knife or something. He was rather relieved to find her staring out the window.

"Oh, dear," she said, he expression worried.

Claus leaned on the table with his forearms. "What?"

She sighed. "I think your father forgot to lock the gates to the sheep pen, I just saw something running around the bushes over there," she said, squinting in an effort to see in the coming darkness. It was getting late. "Can you go out there and round them up before it gets completely dark, please?"

The redhead stood up and pushed his chair in. "Sure thing," he said, walking toward the door. He was a little confused though; his father never left anything open or unlocked, ever. Why would he now? Maybe he was more tired than he looked.

He slammed the door closed and walked around the house to the right side to see how many sheep had gotten loose. When he arrived, though, he stopped before he even came close to the pen. The gate was closed and the lock was on it, ensuring that nothing could get out or in without a key. This made the boy scratch his head. How does a sheep get out of a _locked_ pen?

Just to be sure, Claus counted all the sheep as well. Six out of six. So Hinawa was just seeing things?

It was when he was walking back to the door that he heard it. The sound was barely audible, but it was there: a small whimpering sound. Claus paused to listen, to try and see where it was coming from. It took a second, but he eventually heard it again, coming from the left side of the house.

He walked toward the noise, keeping an eye out for anything that looked out of place. The sound was heard again, louder now, so Claus knew that he was getting closer. One of the nearby bushes rustled almost indiscernibly, so much so that the redhead would've missed it had he not been looking at it when it happened. He approached it with caution; who knows what could be inside it?

However, upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a relatively harmless creature—a dog. The dog didn't look to be in very good shape, for its light blonde fur was matted and dirty, in some places even bloody. One of its forepaws was particularly bloody and scratched, giving Claus a feeling that it was broken. Its eyes were closed at first, but as it sensed the redhead above him, it opened its eyes halfway and Claus was completely hypnotized for a few seconds. They were a beautiful shade of blue, light like the sky in the late morning. At the moment they were dull, however, from pain and exhaustion and who knows what else. It looked downright pitiful.

So pitiful, in fact, that Claus couldn't bring himself to leave the thing there. As carefully as he could, he tentatively reached for it. The dog didn't take its eyes off Claus, but it made no hostile movement to bite or scratch. He wrapped his hands around the dog's middle and gently lifted it out of the bush and into his arms. The dog was a decent size, big enough that it would've given Claus a workout to hold, but it was unnervingly light.

"Don't worry, boy—er, well, or girl, we're gonna get you cleaned up and fed, kay?" Claus mumbled to it, adjusting his hands to where he could pet the dog slowly on the head. It seemed to answer with a soft whine, relaxing into his hold as they neared the house once more.

Hinawa jumped when the door burst open. Closing the cabinet she was putting dishes away in, she turned around to find her son carrying a dirty mass of fur. Claus looked at her with urgency. "Mom," he said, "The sheep weren't loose. You must've seen this dog that I found outside. It's hurt."

Hinawa gasped and hurried toward him. As she closed in on them, the dog opens its eyes halfway again at the noise, but closes them after a few seconds. She went over him with her eyes, wincing when she saw its injured leg. "Oh, you poor thing," she breathed, patting the dog's head carefully. "It looks tired. Here, get a bowl and put some meat in it and see if he'll eat it. I'll go get something for him to sleep in," she said, hurrying over to her room.

Claus frowned. How was he supposed to do that with an injured dog in his arms? Nevertheless, he did so, pulling a bowl from one of the cupboards and dumping a handful of lunchmeat into it. By the time he did so, Hinawa was back, carrying a big basket lined with a few pillows. Claus ever-so-gently laid the dog in the basket, noticing as he did so that the dog was a boy.

When Hinawa held the bowl up to his nose, the dog's eyes shot open and he ate ravenously, downing the entire bowl in less than a minute. While she giggled and went to get him another serving, Claus brought a bowl of water to the dog, and he noisily lapped it up just as fast. After three bowls of meat and two bowls of water, the dog was perfectly content to just close its eyes and doze off.

"Well, he certainly was hungry, wasn't he?" Hinawa laughed, taking both bowls back to the sink.

"Sure was," Claus agreed, still kneeling in front of the dog and staring at it. His breathing had slowed and his chest rose and fell steadily. With a good bath and bandage on his leg, the dog would be very cute. _...the dog. What an odd thought. He should have a name. I wonder what it is?  
_  
And as Hinawa hummed, washing the bowls up real quick and Flint hammered away upstairs in his room, it suddenly hit him as the dog sneezed in its sleep.

_Lucas._

He stared for a moment more before he smiled and said, "Bless you." _Yeah, that definitely fits.  
_  
Hinawa shushes him. "Don't wake him up," she reprimands lightly, drying the bowls now.

Claus stood up. "Mom, can we keep him?"

Here Hinawa stopped. She turned her head to look at him. "Honey, we can't. Surely he belongs to someone in town and just got a little lost!"

"With the way he looks, I'd say he's a wild dog that just got into a pretty nasty fight. Please?"

"Claus, he's not even attempted to bite us. He seems extremely comfortable around people. He must belong to someone. It would be wrong to keep him!" Hinawa turned around to face him fully now. "What if the little boy who owns him is crying right now, or out desperately trying to find him? You'd feel terrible!"

Claus had to stifle his laugh so as not to wake the dog up. "How do you know it's a little boy?" he chuckled, putting his hands behind his head. "But I guess you're right." The redhead's gaze strayed to the dog once more. "I hope no one claims you, Lucas," he said aloud.

At that Hinawa laughed. "What, Lucas?" she giggled, walking over to him. "I understand picking a name, but Lucas? It's not dog-like at all." She thought for a moment. "What about Fido? Or Boney?"

"I thought we _weren't keeping him_," Claus teased, crossing his arms. "Those names are all plain. And plus, I think Lucas suits him perfectly."

Hinawa just shook her head with a smile. "I suppose it does. Just don't get too attached to him, alright? You're going to take him to town tomorrow and ask around."

Claus sighs but nods anyway, knowing that it's the right thing to do. Footsteps coming down the stairs cause them both to look up and see Flint coming back downstairs, hammer and nail case in hand yet again. "Fixed the leak," he grunted simply, making to put the tools back where they belonged, but stopping in his tracks when he caught sight of Lucas sleeping soundly in his basket.

Hinawa giggled again. "Meet Lucas, honey. Claus found him outside, so we're giving him a place to sleep," she explained, linking her hands together.

Flint looked at Lucas for a moment more before he smirked. "He's pretty cute. Where'd you find him?"

"Near the house, cowering in some bushes."

"Poor thing." Flint felt this was a sufficient place to end the conversation and made his way into their bedroom.

Claus yawned. "I think I'm going to follow Lucas' lead and hit the hay," he said, holding his arms out for a hug.

Hinawa gladly obliged and squeezed her son breathless. "Alright, darling. Good night, love you much, and have sweet dreams," she said, letting him go and flipping the lights off.

"Always do," he replied, strolling over to the stairs and climbing them. At the third step, though, he paused and looked back at the sleeping form of the dog—Lucas, who seemed at peace.

_That dog's going to need a bath tomorrow._

—**e—n—d—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

_**A/N: **__**Lame**__** ending? Yeah. It's a kind of short chapter, but most of my first chapters are. They'll get longer and longer as we go, I hope.**_

Reviews, critical or not, are always welcome! Until next time~


	2. Bathtime and Going Out

_**DISCLAIMER: Even though Lucas is a dog right now, I don't own him. Or anything else.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—****c****—****h****—****a****—****p****—****t—e****—****r****—**

The redhead stirred, slowly turning himself around to face away from his window. The morning sunlight softly illuminated his red hair and transferred the color to his white pillow, which looked pinkish as a result. He made a little noise of protest, his subconscious insisting that he get a few more minutes of sleep before he had to wake up and get ready for the day ahead.

But with the way the smell of eggs and bacon tickled his nose tantalizingly and how loud his mother called him down for breakfast, he knew that this wouldn't be a wise course of action. Yelling back to signal he'd heard her, he sat up groggily, rubbing his face with his hands and grabbing yesterday's shorts from his nightstand. He stood up, tugged said shorts on, and made his way over to his wooden dresser, pulling out a black shirt with a single thick white stripe around the middle and putting it on. After running his hands through his hair and deeming it acceptable, he walked down the stairs, nostrils flaring to get more of the delicious smell of Hinawa's cooking.

Once downstairs, he was greeted by his mother, whom was putting the finishing touches on her eggs. She heard his footsteps and didn't even turn around to greet him. "Good morning!" she sang, apparently in a good mood.

"Mornin'," Claus replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table as she pulled two plates out of the cabinet and began to fill them with food. He yawned and glanced around, his sleepy eyes widening when he spotted the blonde dog they'd found last night up and about, limping significantly due to his forepaw's injury but otherwise looking as fine as a dirty dog could.

Hinawa placed the plate with more food on it in front of him, giggling. "He's making a pretty good recovery, don't you think? I cleaned and bandaged his paw, and he's been up and walking ever since."

Claus stared at him, smiling. "Yeah, he is. Lucas is a tough little guy, aren'tcha?" he said, saying the last part in a cutesy voice despite himself.

The dog looks up at Claus and wags his tail, as if recognizing the name. The redhead blinks a few times before looking at his mother, who laughs and takes her own seat. "Surprising, isn't it? The first time I called him that, he did the same thing. Do you think his name really is Lucas?" she wondered aloud, taking a bite of scrambled egg.

Claus mirrors her actions. "I dunno. It's fitting, though." He chews his food thoughtfully. _Could Lucas really be his name? If it is...damn, I'm a good guesser._ He bit a piece off of his bacon and took another forkful of egg into his mouth. Swallowing, he sighed contentedly. "Delicious," he said simply, admiring the way his mother could cook.

Hinawa giggled. "Thank you. There's plenty more if you're hungry," she reminded, picking up her own slice of bacon daintily before taking a small bite of it.

A minute or so later, Claus absently glanced down to find Lucas sitting there next to him, looking up at him with bright blue eyes that conveyed nothing but curiosity. The redhead let his gaze linger as he reached his right hand down to pat the dog on the head lightly. Lucas closed his eyes momentarily, enjoying the sensation, but quickly opened them again to stare back at him with the same expression.

Claus paused his petting, _hmm__-_ing and deciding to half his last strip of bacon with him. He broke it in half before extending it down to him, carefully just in case the dog got excited and snapped it up. But Lucas merely took hold of it and gently pulled it out of his hand, giving him an appreciative look before lowering his head to chew it up.

Claus took his hand back, staring at Lucas curiously. "Do you think he's trained?" he asked, surprised at the dog's lack of ravenousness. Every dog he'd ever seen went crazy at the sight of meat, so much so that one had to throw a piece of it at them for fear of being bitten by over-eager jaws.

Hinawa swallowed the mouthful of food she'd been working on. "More than most likely, which is why you're going to take him out to town today to attempt to find his owner," she reminded, taking both his empty plate and hers to the sink.

Oh yeah. Claus sighed. He knew that it was the right thing to do, but that didn't mean he liked the idea of giving Lucas back. Even after less than a day, he felt a strange attachment to the dog, as if it'd been his dog for years. "Yeah, I know."

So he stood up and stretched, pushing his chair back in afterwards. He looked at Lucas, who was looking up at him again. The dog started to wag its tail when their eyes met. "So are you ready for your bath?" More wagging. _Poor guy, he doesn't even know what he's in for._

"Alright then, c'mon," he said, heading toward the front door. Lucas followed as best he could, his hurt paw making him limp and slowing his progress a bit. When he got to an arm's length away, however, Claus remembers that he needs supplies to clean him with. "Oh, wait, need stuff. Alright, stay right here, I'll be back in a sec," he said, motioning for Lucas to stay and walking off toward his room again.

Lucas sat down obediently.

Claus ran up the stairs, running into the bathroom connected to his room and grabbing his shampoo and a towel before hustling back down the stairs. When he's back down, he notices Lucas sitting in the spot he'd left him at patiently. He smiled. "Good boy. Now, let's go!" he exclaimed, opening the door and allowing the dog to go first.

The crisp morning air came as a refreshment as Claus breathed it in. He shut the door behind him and paused as Lucas managed to wobble down the stairs of their porch without falling or causing himself much pain. He descended then, leading the way to the side of the house Claus had found the dog on, where the hose and water hookup were located. Leaving the towel on the ground far enough away so that it wouldn't get wet, Claus picked up the hose and turned it on just enough to have the water come out in a steady stream.

Lucas was standing upright, tail wagging, looking at the running water with an anxious expression. Claus chuckled and felt the water, making sure it wasn't too cold. "Alright, buddy, you ready?" he asked, shaking the water off his hand.

Lucas seemed to nod, approaching the water as if he knew what was going down, tail never faltering with its wag. Claus just shook his head and pointed the head of the hose at him, coating his dirty fur with lukewarm water. The dog managed to maneuver itself like a champ, getting the water everywhere it needed to be—everywhere. Once he his coat was sufficiently waterlogged, Claus turned the water off, put the hose down and picked up the shampoo.

Squirting a fair amount into his palm, he rubbed his hands together and began at Lucas' head, rubbing the stuff into his fur all around, but careful not to get any near his eyes. The dog helpfully closed them of his own accord, blocking any and all that happened to drip dangerously close. Claus scrubbed around for a moment before picking the bottle back up and pouring nearly a fourth of its contents down Lucas' back. He then lathered his way around his body, from his back to his belly to his legs and even his neck and tail. If Lucas was bothered by any of this, he did nothing to show it; he just relaxed into Claus' motions and stood very still, making the redhead's job much easier.

A few sudsy minutes later, Claus once again pointed the hose at the dog, washing all the dirt and soap away. It took a few minutes to get everything entirely out of his thick fur, but after this was accomplished he looked very clean and refreshed. And wet.

As Claus reached for the towel to dry the animal off, Lucas scampered as well as he could with an injury off a few meters away and shook himself to rid his coat of as much of the excess water as he could before sauntering back and waiting expectantly for the boy to dry him off. Claus only stared. _Did he seriously walk over there just so he could shake and not get me wet? This is one smart dog._

After Lucas was as dry as Claus could get him, he let them both back into the house. Hinawa paused her sewing to giggle at Lucas, whose fur was a little puffed up but altogether nice and clean. "Did you have a good time?" she asked, patting Lucas twice on the head.

"As good of a time as a dog can have getting a bath," he replied, walking over to the kitchen and pulling one of the drawers out. "He didn't really seem to mind though. He either likes water, or he's really well trained."

"I'd say the latter," she said, resuming her sewing now. She was fixing the hem on a blue dress of hers that had become a little frayed.

"Yeah, probably. He's one of the smartest dogs I've ever seen," Claus mused, pulling a leather wallet out of the drawer and flipping through it. "Well, I guess I'll take him over to town now. See you later."

"Yes, have fun, darling. I love you."

"Love you too." And with that he was back out the door, holding it open for Lucas. He was definitely thinking about just taking Lucas for a walk in the forest and calling it a day, but he knew that Lucas' rightful owners should at least have a chance at finding him. Sighing, he trudged up the dirt path that led to town, going at a slow enough pace that Lucas could walk beside him with little trouble.

"I don't have a collar, or a leash, so you'll have to behave for me, okay?" he said to the dog beside him as they approached the town. When the redhead looked down at Lucas, he seemed to nod his understanding.

As they got closer, one could hear people chatting and walking around, getting various errands done and gossiping. Claus could smell the new restaurant that had opened a few weeks ago barbecuing, and even though he'd just eaten it made his mouth water. By the way Lucas sniffed the air, it appeared that the aroma made him hungry too. When they finally came within sight of Tazmily's main road, Claus saw that it was bustling with people, a rarity for this early in the morning. He noticed a couple other dog owners with their dogs leashed beside them, and these dogs regarded Lucas with curiosity. Lucas simply ignored them.

A block down, Claus saw Fuel again, no doubt here for another one of Lighter's many packages of tools and supplies. The redhead debated on whether to say hi or keep walking, but Fuel ended up making that decision for him. He grinned when he saw them, and crossed the street to greet the duo.

"We meet again!" he exclaimed once he got close enough to talk. "And who's this lovely canine?" he asked, looking down at Lucas, who wagged his tail a few times in greeting.

"Hey, man. This is Lucas," he answered as Fuel crouched to pat the dog on the head. "I found him last night cowering in the bushes outside my house."

"Aww," he made a sympathetic sound, scratching behind Lucas' ears. "Poor guy. And he's got a bandage around his paw! Did you get lost? Aww, that's a good boy!" Fuel laughed when Lucas licked him playfully on the nose.

"Yeah, guess he must've. Do you know of anyone missing a dog?" Claus asked when the brunette stood up and wiped his nose off.

Fuel thought for a moment. "No, actually, I don't. But you should as Brenda. If anyone'll know, it'd be her."

"Yeah, true." Brenda was the infamous gossip queen of their town. If you needed to know anything, odds are she'd have any information you were after relating to the community. No secrets were safe with her. "So what're you doing here?"

"Picking up a package, of course!" Fuel laughed. "Which I need to get back pretty quick. Wish I could stay and chat more..."

Claus shook his head. "No, I understand. Thanks, though."

"Anytime. And good luck with finding this little guy's owner!" he said as he walked off to the opposite sidewalk to continue his previous journey.

So Claus continued on his own path, Lucas hobbling along beside him. The two weaved their way through people, moving along down the sidewalk and advancing through the southern part of town with relative ease. With the way Lucas clung to his side, never straying or anything, and looked around him with wide blue eyes, absorbing all the sights as if they were new, the redhead had to wonder: did Lucas come from around here?

A block or so ahead, he spotted the main group of gossipers, the group always standing in front of the town's fountain, the one that Brenda belonged to. Noticing that Brenda happened to be there so early, he decided he'd better stop and ask. It couldn't hurt, right? He approached them rather cautiously.

The first to notice him was Linda, a middle aged woman with short sandy brown hair. She nodded in acknowledgement, and thereafter each of the women turned to look at him and wave or nod to him. There were a few of them he didn't recognize; must've been newcomers to the Nowhere Islands from across the sea.

One of the women he didn't know spoke with authority. "Is there something we can help you with, boy?" she asked him, as if she had much more important things to be doing.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, actually," he began, motioning to the patiently sitting Lucas beside him. "I was wondering if anyone around here had lost a dog."

All eyes turned to the blonde canine below. A unanimous _aww_ came from every woman present as they cooed over how adorable he was.

"Would you look at that face! How _cute!_"

"Poor little guy, are you lost?"

"Aww, what a beautiful dog!"

Claus waited patiently as they all took turns petting him and giggling. Lucas looked slightly apprehensive at first, but he relaxed once he realized they meant no harm and even began to enjoy all the attention they gave him. This continued for much longer than it should have, as the women fawned over him extensively as any female would've.

After everyone was satisfied, Brenda decided to address the one male present. "He's mighty cute, but I haven't caught wind of anyone losin' a dog," she answered, her hands on her thick hips. "I'll definitely spread the word for you though, hun," she assured him, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

Claus dipped his head gratefully. "Thanks anyway," he said, starting away from the group as soon as he could without seeming impolite. Any man would be hard pressed to stand anywhere near that group for more than a couple of minutes. The sheer estrogen was overpowering.

Now the question was, should he do anything more about it? He already had Tazmily's female gossips on the case. That was really all he could do. He shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. If the time came to up the efforts, he would. Then. Not now.

Right now, he would go to the store. Beckoning Lucas alongside him, he made his way to the general store, which sold everything one could want or need. It didn't look too packed with only a couple dozen cars parked in the parking lot. The redhead briefly wondered whether dogs were allowed into the store before shaking his head and walking right in anyway, the dog next to him never leaving his side.

The door closing behind them, they wandered around inside, searching for the pet-related aisle. Claus passed a few employees inside, who looked at the dog and him with eyebrows raised but said nothing. One of said employees pointed the correct aisle out to him. Thanking her, Claus marched into it and stared at the three different brands of dog food he found with inexperienced eyes.

"Iams, Purina, and Pedegree? Hmm... And there are different formulas too? How complicated can dog food be?" Claus thought out loud as he struggled to decide what to get. "Lucas, do you like chicken or beef taste better?"

Lucas just gave him a soft bark in reply.

"Ehh...right. I'll go with beef."

He looked at each bag, separating them into two categories: beef and chicken flavors. Once he'd done that, though, he noticed something else; formulas designed for different ages and weights. "...I wonder how old you are? And how much you weigh...not enough, I guess."

This time Lucas merely looked at him, and a number jumped into Claus' head on it's own entirely. _Fifteen._ Huh? Claus looked at Lucas blankly for a moment before shaking his head hard. No way. A dog that old would be either dead or wrinkly and lethargic. This dog was the complete opposite; young and energetic. He also didn't look to weigh more than about thirty-five pounds when he should've been more in the high fifties range.

"Nah, you're definitely only three, at the most. And we need to put some weight on you, too. Your owners must not feed you, by the looks of it..." he observed, looking from the blonde canine to the shelves and back again a couple of times. "Yeah, that sounds right."

In the end he chose the cheaper brand, for young adult dogs and primarily beef-flavored. Hoisting a ten-pound bag of it onto his shoulder, he exhaled, glad to have been done with that. When he looked down to make sure Lucas was still beside him (though he had very little doubt), he saw the dog looking not at him, but at something hanging on the rack nearby. Following his gaze, Claus concluded that he was staring at a red collar, one that just happened to be the right size.

The boy smiled. "You like that, boy?" he asked, reaching down for it. Lucas wagged his tail, seeming to be very much fond of it. Claus laughed, pulling it off the rack and standing back upright. "Then we'll buy it. I'd put it on you now, but I don't want to be suspected of shoplifting. You only make that mistake once."

After browsing the aisle a bit more and checking out successfully, the two were back on the streets again, Claus carrying a bag of dog food and a box of treats and Lucas sporting a nice new red collar on his furry neck. They stopped by the post office to see if any mail was to be had, which there wasn't. After that, the only thing left to do was go back home. They were merely a block away from exiting the town to do just that when an unexpected person popped in for a visit.

"Hi, Claus!" A flurry of blonde hair flew in front of him, its owner giving him an excited little wave.

Claus forced on a smile. "Oh, hey, Angie," he replied, readjusting the way the bag of food lay on his shoulders. They'd been so close to home, too! Damn. He really didn't dislike Angie, but she just overdid everything. _Especially_ her flirting. "So how are you?"

She flashed him her pretty smile. "Oh, I've been doing fine! Better now that I'm talking to you!" she winked. Not giving the redhead time to react, her gaze dropped to Lucas and she gasped. "Homygosh, what an _adorable_ dog!" she sang, dropping to her knees and cooing to said animal while stroking its fur softly. "Look at him, so cute! Almost as cute as you," she grinned, patting the dog firmly. Lucas didn't seem to mind, his tail wagging like it always did.

"H-huh?"

She laughed, the sound light and sweet. "Nothing." She stood up again, dusting her white skirt off. "So he's yours? I'm so jealous!"

Claus shook his head. "No, he's not mine. We found him out in our yard all hurt, and we're just taking care of him 'till we can find his owners," he explained, motioning to the supplies he held in his hands.

Angie made an 'o' shape with her mouth. "Oh, I see. That's too bad, you and him seem like a really good match!" she pouted, glancing at Lucas again. "Almost as good as you and me!"

Claus smiled to be polite. "Eheheh." He didn't understand what was so attractive about himself. Just a boy living on the outskirts of town with a farmer father and a seamstress mother. Why couldn't she just forget him and get with Fuel already? As much as he needed to tell her this, he decided that now wasn't really the time. "Well anyway, I really should be getting back now..."

She giggled and waved her hands in the air. "Oh, don't let me get in your way! Sorry to keep you, just couldn't help but say hi, y'know," she said, and as she made to walk past him she maneuvered her body just right in order to brush against the boy playfully. "Take care, and tell your mom my mom says hi!" she called behind him, followed by another giggle.

"Sure," he replied, letting out an exasperated sigh and hurrying away before she could change her mind and come back. The bag on his shoulders was getting heavy now; the sooner he got back to the house, the better. A soft brush of fur on the side of his leg indicated that Lucas was right beside him, willing to follow as always.

He trudged into the door of his home and shut the door with his foot. Lucas immediately went over to greet Hinawa, who was still sewing in her spot on the living room couch. She giggled and patted the dog on the head, looking up at her son with a smile. "Welcome back. Any luck?"

Claus shook his head. "Nah," he answered her, plopping the box of treats on the kitchen's island before setting the bag down carefully next to the fridge. "I went through our side of town and asked the ladies if they'd heard of anyone losing a dog. They said no, and that they'd spread the word for me."

She nodded. "Good."

As soon as she said it, they heard a stomach rumble. Claus had assumed it was Hinawa at first, but she just laughed. "Poor Lucas, are you hungry?" she asked, ruffling the fur on his head. "The poor dear, I forgot to make him some breakfast too!"

Claus smiled. "Well that just won't do." He opened the cabinet he stood beside to retrieve a couple of bowls, leaving one under the tap to fill with water and approaching the bag of dog food with the other. He scooped an appropriate amount out and set it down near the kitchen table and set the water-filled one right beside it. The redhead wiped his hands on his shirt, proclaiming, "Go ahead and dig in."

Lucas happily complied, scampering over to the bowls as best he could and lapping up the cool water gratefully before he switched bowls and began to munch on the kibble hungrily. He was in such a hurry he nearly forgot to breathe, resulting in his momentary pause to catch his breath before plunging his face back into the bowl.

Claus watched the silly dog eat with an entertained grin on his face. As he gobbled everything in his sight down, the boy couldn't help but to think about this dog's owners. What were they like? Did they care about Lucas as much as he did? Where were they? They were looking for him, right? And that thought led to another; what if they were to knock on the door right now and demand that Claus hand him over?

Claus wasn't sure if he could do it.

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_**A/N: If you've ever had a dog, you know that you bond with them really quickly. Especially one that you save from the streets/bushes. Or maybe that's just my dog. Meh. And by the way, thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot. :)**_

Anyway, that does it for this chapter! Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc.

Ciao!


	3. A Trip to the Sunshine Forest

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Not even an ounce of it. All rights go to Shigesato Itoi, the man that deserves a Nobel Peace prize or something. Okay, maybe not. But I still don't own it.**_

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"Claus!"

The addressed redhead poked his head around the corner of his room, effectively looking down the stairs. "Yes?"

His mother stood at the foot of them, awaiting his response. "I have an errand for you."

Claus put on a mock-frown. "Oh, wonderful." He set the duster he'd been working with down and trotted down the stairs, his socks already on his feet. "So what's it going to be today?" he asked once he hit the bottom step.

Hinawa strode over to the couch, where a medium-sized box lay, taped closed and labeled with an address. "I need you to deliver this to a client of mine, over in the Tazmily Condominiums. Normally I'd do it myself, but I'm on a pretty strict deadline as it is."

Claus nodded. "I know, and it really isn't a problem. I don't have much better to do anyway." He picked up the box, and it was as light as he'd expected to be; no more than four or five pounds.

"And could you do me another favor?" she asked, glancing over at the kitchen table where Lucas was currently walking laps for lack of anything else to do. "Take him with you, for a walk. He seems really restless today, the poor dear."

"No problem." Claus held back a laugh as he watched the dog nearly run into a chair as he turned the far corner too fast. "Whaddya say, boy, wanna come out for a walk with me?" he asked the blonde animal. Lucas immediately stopped what he was doing and bounded over to Claus, tail wagging and blue eyes bright. He chuckled. "I guess that's a yes," he said, waving back to his mother. "I'll be back in a little while," he informed rather superfluously.

Hinawa gave him a little wave in return that he couldn't see on account of being turned toward the front door already. "Alright, dear, be safe," she replied, seating herself on the couch once more.

And so they were off, traversing the worn dirt path to town once again. Claus noticed Lucas' increased ease of walking, and it made him smile. Over the week they'd now had him, his paw had steadily healed each day, and even now it was scarcely bigger than a scratch. He'd wormed his way into their family, in a way that made Claus both happy and worried, in case his real owner ever showed up. What would they do then? Just give him up and forget about him? Claus knew for a fact he wouldn't be able to.

But that could be worried about later, when and if the time came. Right now, they walked into town, the early afternoon sun shining down on them benevolently, the streets not too crowded with people, but enough so to know that it was a popular area. The Tazmily Condominiums were in the northern part of town, so they stayed to the right to take the fastest path there. A good chuck of people they passed either looked at Lucas with affectionate glances or even uttered something along the lines of, "How cute!" The dog's tail wagged at each and every one of them, and Claus was amazed at how intelligent he was, to he able to discern comments meant for him from others.

Passing through the town square was always rather hectic due to the sheer amount of people and traffic, parked automobiles and not, especially with an un-leashed dog by your side. But Lucas didn't seem fazed by them at all, again making Claus wonder if he had just been an abandoned city dog that somehow found it's way to the southern outskirts of town and ended up next to their house. Another cute habit of the dog's was to stare at the intricate fountain with serene eyes, as if he found it interesting. After crossing the street once, they were off again, passing all sorts of small specialty shops on the way.

A few blocks down they came to the large blue building, dubbed 'the Tazmily Condominiums' by the sign standing just outside it. They made their way through the gate and into the main office, meeting a man by the name of Jackie.

The bald man looked up at them when they entered through the door, before smiling at Claus; they'd met many times before. "Why hello there, Claus! Long time, no see. What can I do for you?" he asked in a rather high-pitched voice.

Claus set the package down in front of him. "Delivering a package once again," he said, and Jackie nodded in understanding as he checked the address on said box.

"Yes, people around here know your mother quite well, they sure do..." he trailed off, typing things into the computer on his desk. After a few moments he made a little sound of understanding before turning back to the boy. "Okay. You're going to want to take this box to building B, room 158 on the second floor. There's a Ms. Shexnayder waiting for you there."

"Alright, thanks," Claus tipped his head gratefully before exiting the building once more, turning to the right. The redhead knew the layout so well one would think he lived there. He reached the stairs and climbed, going a big slower than usual to accommodate for his canine companion. Once at the top, they walked down the hall a little ways before arriving at the correct door. Claus adjusted the way he held the package before he knocked a few times on the door.

After about a minute he was about to knock again when the door opened, revealing a woman in her mid-sixties. She seemed rather pompous and full of herself, regarding Claus with a bored expression. "What?" she asked in a way that made Claus want to slug her in the face.

"Package," he replied just as simply, holding the box out to her. She snatched it up and read the label with her beady eyes.

"It's about time this arrived," she said, before glancing down at Lucas, who stared up at her with expressionless eyes. "Cute dog," she observed before slamming the door in his face, audibly locking it. For once Lucas did not wag his tail at the statement, as if he knew that the compliment came from a egotistical snob.

Claus resisted the urge to knock on the door again and wring her neck and just settled with putting a sour look on his face, trudging back down the hall and back down the stairs. People nowadays were very rude. It was like no one had taught them any manners at all! And what bugged Claus the most was that most people never even said thank you, not even a 'tell her I said thank you' kind of deal. Honestly. This was why he didn't care for people much at all, and why he disliked delivering his mother's packages. It made him wonder if they were rude to Hinawa when she delivered them herself. If he ever heard his mother complain about it, he'd take it upon himself to slap 'em silly, woman or not.

Lucas trotted alongside the redhead silently, staring up at him curiously, like he knew the taller being was mad, though Claus was too busy brooding to notice. They made their way out of the complex and to the street before the boy suddenly snapped his fingers and looked to the sky. "That's it!" he exclaimed, turning to look down at Lucas. "You wanna go to the Sunshine Forest, boy? It'll be fun!"

Lucas barked, mirroring Claus' excitement.

The latter chuckled. "Alright, let's go!" he said, walking further north and eventually crossing the street along the way. They passed a tall tower along the way, a tower Claus knew was used for those cellular phones that it seemed everyone and their brother had. His mother had told him that when he was little, that tower used to be a bell tower, and that there used to be a very tall man standing by to ring it, but he disappeared when the tower was renovated and hadn't been seen since. The story used to make Claus kinda sad. Where had the man gone afterwards? No one knew.

Once they reached the entrance of the forest it became a lot cooler, much to both their relief. The forest was somewhere they could unwind and relax, maybe have a picnic or something. It was peaceful and quiet, two things that Claus valued a lot. He was a little jealous of Fuel, who lived there and got to enjoy it everyday. The fallen leaves crackled under feet and paws as the duo walked, taking the first leftbound path they came to.

They passed a man named Isaac on their was in, who also lived in the forest, on his way out of it. The man slowed his jogging as he spotted the boy, waving. "Hey, Claus," he said, stopping for a moment to chat. "Nice to see you. New member of the family here?" he inquired, referring to the blonde dog at his feet.

"Hey. Sort of, we kind of found him about a week ago," he said, patting Lucas on the head affectionately. "We're trying to locate his owner."

"Ah," Isaac nodded his understanding. "Well, he sure seems like a good dog. Yes, you are a good boy!" he said the last part laughing when Lucas wagged his tail at the comment. "Anyway, I'll see you later," he waved before picking up where he left off, jogging away.

"Yeah, bye," Claus also began walking again, Lucas loyally doing the same. "That was Isaac," he spoke to the dog, though why, he didn't know. "He lives out here by himself. He's a good guy and all, my mom dated him once a long time ago," he laughed, remembering the story his mother had told. "I don't think he ever got over her."

As they headed in deeper, they passed Isaac's house, which was pretty big for just one man, even two stories tall. The man had left his door open for whatever reason, and Claus, being the good samaritan that he is, closed the door for him, rolling his eyes. He did live in the forest, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but even so, some people were a little too trusting. A little storage room detached from the house altogether caught Lucas' attention, because he sniffed in it's general direction. Claus would be willing to bet money that he stored his mushrooms in there.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their ultimate destination: a hot spring. One could see the steam coming off of it in large plumes, and the water was a shining light blue color, only a tad lighter than Lucas' wide eyes. They approached the appropriate entrance, where the water lapped at a shore-like piece of land. Claus grinned down at the dog. "Doesn't it look relaxing, boy? It's called a hot spring. Maybe you've been to one before." The redhead slipped a shoe off, pulled the sock away and dipped his foot in, testing the water temperature. Deeming it okay, he proceeded to take off his clothes.

"This spring is said to have a kind of magical power of sorts," Claus continued, pulling his red-and-yellow striped shirt off his body and laying it on a rock beside him, unbuttoning his denim shorts as he went. Lucas appeared to be listening intently, sitting near the water and looking up at him. "They say it can do things like heal someone who's sick or injured. Wouldn't that be neat?" he slipped out of his boxers and shorts easily, leaving him stark naked and chuckling to himself. "I thought it might help your paw out a little bit, and that it would be nice to sit here for a while." He waded into the water, up to his belly button before looking back at the dog sitting on the sidelines. "Well, come on!" he encouraged, beckoning Lucas in with his hands.

Said dog sniffed the water a bit before dipping his own paw in tentatively. He looked like he was actually contemplating for himself whether or not to follow in the redhead's footsteps, but apparently decided on the former, for he splashed in too, doggy-paddling his way to the boy with a bit of trouble.

Claus laughed and grabbed him, keeping him afloat with his own hands as he submerged himself a little deeper into the water before coming up to a little rock wall that protruded from the wall under the surface of the water, acting as a bench. Claus sat here, the water coming up to his neck comfortably, and he placed Lucas on his lap, the water coming up to his own furry neck.

The boy leaned his head back and relaxed completely, feeling Lucas lean back into him and do the same. "So, feeling any better yet?" he asked, stroking the dog's waterlogged fur gently.

Lucas didn't really answer, just an attempt at wagging his tail under water, which tickled Claus stomach, causing him to chuckle. "Just give it a while, it will. This place works wonders on you, it really does."

They sat there for a while, letting the hot water soak them and wash any inhibitions or worries away. Claus probably would have fallen asleep if it weren't for Lucas readjusting his paws on his thighs every so often. He talked to the dog some more too, telling him random things about the city or himself or just venting about anything he was still pissed off about, which admittedly wasn't much. The whole time, Lucas was silently still, just listening as if he knew what the guy was talking about.

But soon they both got a little restless and decided to swim around. Lucas seemed to have a little trouble at first, but after a minute or two was paddling around without a care in the world. The spring wasn't very big or deep, so Claus could only follow the dog's lead as he swam around. The blonde canine managed to find a stick laying within an arm's reach of the spring, so Claus would throw the stick around in the water and Lucas would go get it and bring it back, a game of water fetch.

While he had no idea exactly how long they'd been there, Claus could say it'd easily been an hour, judging from how wrinkly and prune-like his fingers looked. After a last throw, he decided it would be a good time to leave. Dipping his entire head into the water a final time, he surfaced and shook his head, wading his way back out of the water. "I kinda wish I had thought to bring a towel," he thought aloud as he pulled his clothes back on to his soaked body. Once this was done he crouched next to Lucas, stripping his now-useless bandage from his paw. The gash that a week ago had looked pretty bad was now just a small scratch that had almost healed. Claus smiled. "Looks like it's gotten better just while we were in there! Maybe it really is magical," he said, standing back up.

Lucas raised his paw to look at it himself, and wagged his tail to signal his agreement.

Claus chuckled. "I'm sure mom'll think that it was just her exceptional treatment...well, no matter. What do you say we head back? I'm kinda hungry." The redhead set off back the way they had come and Lucas followed along behind him more than happily, the both of them still dripping as they went.

_-asdfjkl;-  
_  
After they had dinner and a slice of Hinawa's famous chocolate cake for dessert, Claus took Lucas outside for the final time that evening, to let Lucas do his business. When the two bounded back inside, the redhead laughing again because of something cute Lucas had done, Flint and Hinawa stood in the living room, both looking at him with strange expressions on their faces. This stopped the duo in their tracks, Claus's face falling. "What?"

Hinawa beckoned him over. "Come and sit here with us. We need to have a talk." The way she said this worried Claus; her voice was usually light and carefree, but right now she was serious.

He wordlessly followed her command, sitting in the love seat adjacent to the couch, where his parents took their own seats.

"Claus," Flint said, his voice gruff. "This dog—"

That was all that was said before Claus stiffened and gripped the armrests tightly. "His _owners_ found us? Found him? Want him back?" he exclaimed, a little louder than he should have. Oh God, _no_, not already! He had been hoping that his owners would never find him, and that he could keep Lucas as his own from then on. How selfish of him.

Hinawa raised her hands. "Oh, good heavens, no!" she answered him, shocked at Claus' sudden reaction. "At least, not yet, anyway. What your father was going to say was, this dog is not ours." She placed her hands on her lap and looked down at whom they were talking about. Lucas' eyes were wide and he looked at them all, like he knew where this conversation was going. "And if his owners do find out where he is and contact us..."

"...Then we'll have to give him back," his father finished for her. "We know how much you're bonding with the little fella, and we are too. He's a part of the family now, which isn't good...but it is what it is." He paused for a moment to give the dog that sat a few feet away a forlorn glance. "We just want you to know that the time will probably come when you'll have to give him up."

"And we're not telling you to ignore him or anything, either," Hinawa quickly cut in, leaning forward a bi to emphasize her point. "You should keep doing what you're doing with him, I think it's wonderful. But we just want you to be aware of it, that's all."

Claus, who was relieved that his sudden assumption had been dead wrong, nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I've had that in mind the whole time, actually, but I just don't like to think about it." He met Lucas' eyes, their sparkling blue hue entrancing him for a moment. "Is it selfish of me to hope that his owners never find him?"

Hinawa smiled at her son. "Yes, it is. But I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm starting to wish that too."

Claus laughed. "Oh, good. I don't feel as bad then."

Flint stood up, convinced that his point had been made. He never really was one to talk; the strong, silent type, that was him. Claus took after him very little. "Well, if that's taken care of, I'll say good night now, Hinawa, Claus, Lucas." He winked at Claus before turning and heading into the room located at the far end of the living room.

Hinawa giggled. "I guess I'll head off to bed too." She stood up and approached her son, kissing the top of his head. "Good night. And good night to you too, Lucas," she scratched the dog's head a few times before following after her husband.

Claus stood up as well and walked to the base of the stairs, hand reaching up to switch the lights off. But before he did, he noticed Lucas standing beside him, looking up and wagging his tail. "What, you want to come up with me?" The dog seemed to shake its head yes. "Well, alright, but I'm warning you, my rook isn't very impressive," he said, flipping off the lights and walking up the stairs, Lucas close behind. The fact that Lucas hadn't already been up here was kind of surprising, but with his paw injury, it was just too much trouble for him.

And once they got to the top, one would discover that Claus was not lying; it _wasn't_ very impressive. It was an average-sized room, with a large wooden bed in the middle and pushed up against the wall. There was a dresser against the wall you stood next to upon entry, a nightstand next to the bed, a light on the ceiling which Claus flipped on to illuminate the room, a door to the left which led to a small closet, and a door on the right that led to a small bathroom. He didn't have very many miscellaneous items; a comb on his dresser, a clock on his nightstand. There was a large book on his dresser too, a book entitled 'The Art of Cartooning' that looked rather worn, but other than that there was nothing to speak of.

"Told you it was nothing special," he said, yawning and striding into the bathroom. Here he splashed water onto his face just because he could, grabbing towel to dry his face off afterwards. He then proceeded to brush his teeth, scrubbing his tongue vigorously and spitting the light blue foam out of his mouth.

When he walked out of the bathroom, face dry and mouth minty fresh, he noticed his blonde canine friend laying on his bed, tail wagging once he noticed him. He chuckled. "You want to sleep with me too? Again, just a fair warning, I might kick you off the bed in my sleep." He made his way to the dresser and slid the top drawer open, ignoring the squeak it made and pulling out some nightclothes to wear. It took all of about thirty seconds for him to change into the black shirt and gray sweats. Taking his socks off, he threw them into the bathroom, barely missing the hamper that sat in there, before flipping the lights off once more and taking a seat next to the dog on his bed, scratching his head affectionately.

"You should ignore what my parents said, you know," he spoke to the animal, rubbing Lucas' now exposed belly. "No matter what, even if you're not my dog, I love you. They love you too, they just don't want to say it." He paused, thinking for a moment. "We're still not even sure you had owners before. But even if you did, I'd feel the same." The boy brought his face close to Lucas' and smiled, unsure if the dog could even see it. "You're my number one furry buddy, y'know?" he said, laughing at how dumb he sounded. Lucas just licked Claus' nose in response.

The redhead burrowed his way under the covers, snuggling into his pillow. "Well then, good night, bud," he said to the dog beside him, who didn't seem to answer in any way. "Sleep tight and have good dreams!"

Lucas whined softly in reply.

Claus had thought it might be a bit weird to sleep with something besides him in his bed, but it actually felt pretty natural and he had no qualms as he quietly dozed off. The two of them were snoring in unison in no time at all.

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_**A/N: Adorable scenes with a boy and his dog. Aww. Though will it stay that way? That's for me to know, and you to find out! C: Oh, I'm so evil. And just so you know, this chapter was written in about four hours, so I'm sorry if there are any dumb mistakes. Just wanted to update it!**_

That's about all I have to say. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc.

Have a wonderful day/night, and see you soon! Ciao!


	4. Claus' First Kiss?

_**A/N: So I legit had to ask Google what a baby sheep was called before I remembered that it's a lamb. Seriously, I'm such a damn idiot.**_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own. No, really.

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Claus sneezed and blew his nose into one of the many tissue he had next to him on the nightstand.

For the past couple of days, the redhead had been sick in bed with a severe headache, runny nose and nausea. He didn't know where he'd gotten the bug from, but he was hard-pressed to so much as stand up and go to the bathroom, and needless to say hadn't spent much time with Lucas, if you didn't count their sleeping together. He felt bad because his mother had a deadline quickly approaching for one of her client's dresses and yet she continued to fawn over him, making sure he was comfortable and well.

"Mom, _seriously_, I can take care of myself," Claus had said, his voice nasally. "I feel a little better today, really."

Hinawa tutted, placing a cloth soaked in cool water on his head and tucking him back into bed. "Nonsense. You're my little boy, and I still have to take care of you," she cooed, pinching his cheek lightly and making his already-flushed face turn even redder. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't?"

So in bed he had stayed for the entire day, with nothing to do but think or sleep. Claus tended to choose the latter, dozing off for hours at a time, allowing his body to do what it needed to to fend off whatever kind of sickness he had.

Now it was nighttime once again, and Claus had his eyes closed and was breathing steadily into his pillow, subconscious already. Paws padded up into the room, and up hopped Lucas onto the bed. Claus showed no signs of being bothered by this, and Lucas stretched slightly before laying next to his human friend, head on his paws and eyes drifting closed. While the dog found sleep easily, Claus was dreaming already.

_The two of them were just fooling around on the floor, Lucas bowling Claus over and licking him on the face, the redhead laughing and playfully shoving him off. His parents sat on the couch, Hinawa watching him with a serene smile on her face and Flint reading a book on the other end. As Claus was about to stand up, though, someone knocked on the front door._

Strange. Wondering who it could be, Claus stood himself up, dusted his butt off, and made his way to the door, Lucas following close behind. He grasped the door knob and turned, pulling it open to look at who had come calling at this time of night.

In the doorway stood a young boy, no older than eleven or so, with very short, dark hair and a baseball cap. His shirt was blue and yellow striped, he had denim shorts on, and he also wore a red bandana around his neck, red shoes on his feet. He looked up at Claus with hopeful an misty eyes. "Hello mister! I'm looking for a lost dog, and someone in town told me that you found one...?" He trailed off as he spotted Lucas at Claus' feet, the dog wagging it's tail so hard it whap_ped Claus' leg to the point that it almost hurt. The boy's eyes brightened exponentially at the sight of the blonde canine. "Lucas!" he exclaimed, and Lucas bounded over to him, looking ever so happy to see him.  
__  
Flint and Hinawa had wandered over to the doorway to see what was going on, and gasped as they saw the boy and Lucas chumming it up. Claus' eyes were wide; he couldn't believe that it was actually happening, that Lucas' rightful owner had finally found him. His fingers twitched as he watched Lucas lick the boy's face playfully, like he'd been doing to _him_ not even a minute prior._

"Lucas?" Claus called experimentally, his voice shaking despite his best efforts to prevent it.

Lucas didn't even spare him a glance, being too busy fooling around with the boy to even notice Claus' voice. They laughed and laughed, two friends having been reunited after a few weeks of separation. Why did their jolliness tear at Claus relentlessly? He could hardly stand it, watching his dog—wait. That was just it. Lucas wasn't his dog. He never had been.

And sure, Claus had known this, but he had been so sure that the owner would never find him, and that they would be together for a long time afterwards... A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his reverie. Looking back, the hand belonged to a sympathetic Hinawa, who rubbed his shoulder tenderly.

The boy had finally managed to calm them both down. He stood up and beamed at the redhead, looking happier than ever. "Thank you for findin' my dog and takin_'__ such good care of him! I dunno what I woulda done without this guy..." he trailed off giggling when Lucas licked his leg affectionately. Just like he had used to lick Claus. "Bye!" he said, and just like that, the two were running away, off to who knows where to do who knows what. Claus didn't want to think about it._

But of course he did. They were probably off to do something fun, like take a walk through the Sunshine Forest or play fetch with him in the fields north of Tazmily. Then they'd be just like they had been; carefree buddies, and Lucas would forget all about Claus. That damn_ boy. He didn't even deserve the dog, he was the one who'd lost it! If he hadn't done so, this never would have happened!_

Then he felt something on his cheek. Something wet. He wiped at it, examining his hand afterwards, and was shocked to discover that he was crying. Actually crying. Over a dog he'd found not three weeks ago! He was such a pathetic_ wimp._

Hinawa hugged Claus from behind, telling him to shush and that it would be okay, that they would go out and get a new dog tomorrow. But that thought was even worse; all that would do is remind him of what he'd lost to some random kid today, something that he didn't know he'd bonded to tightly with. No, If he couldn't have Lucas, than he wouldn't want any other dog.

He suddenly fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands, talking aloud to himself, saying shut up, cut it out, you're so pathetic, why are you even so hung up over this, it isn't worth it. But he couldn't stop. He didn't know what he was going to do without his canine companion.

Claus shot up, breathing hard and wide-eyed from the dream he'd just had. Looking all around him, he let out a sigh of relief he didn't even know he'd been holding when he spotted the blonde dog next to him in bed. Thank _goodness_!

He knew that he was being very childish, getting so emotionally attached to a dog. But, what the hell? He knew that Lucas was a special dog, and he also knew that they were most definitely best friends. Screw the owner; he'd worry about that when the time came. For now, he would enjoy their time together as anyone else would.

Claus put a very tentative arm around the sleeping dog. Lucas didn't even move, being so far asleep and into his own dreams. The redhead resettled himself in bed, stifling a cough and matching breaths with the dog beside him.

Soon he was asleep once more, his dreams this time much better than his last.

_-asdfjkl;-_

"Lucas, hold still for me, okay?"

The blonde dog did as he was told. After Claus's sickness had passed yesterday, the duo had spent the entire day today outside, walking around, playing fetch, even meeting up with Fuel for lunch. The sun had all but set now and they were now indoors. Sitting on the floor, Claus was attempting to cut Lucas' nails, which had gotten pretty long. Being as still as he could, he positioned the clippers accordingly and squeezed. _CHIK_. The nail bounced onto the floor, the redhead having been successful.

"See? That wasn't so bad." Claus went about clipping the rest of the nails on that paw. Lucas sat perfectly still, only flinching every time the clippers clipped a nail and emitted that sharp sound.

His mother was in the kitchen, cooking up her specialty, omelets, for dinner. She cracked three eggs into a bowl, sprinkling some salt, pepper, a hint of garlic and diced red and green peppers into it as well, whisking away as the omelet already on the pan sizzled and popped. It already smelled amazing to the starving duo on the floor in the living room.

As Claus moved on to the left front paw, the front door opened and in stepped Flint, all sweaty and dirty from the day's work. He walked past redhead and blonde alike on his way to wash up for dinner, giving them an acknowledging nod as he went. Claus nodded back, and in the process accidentally clipped one of Lucas' nails too short, causing the dog to whine sharply in dull pain. Claus' hands shot away and he nearly cursed.

"Ah, shi—" he stopped himself in the nick of time, not daring to swear like that in front of his mother. "Shoot. Sorry, Lucas, I didn't mean to," he gave the dog an apologetic look. Lucas didn't seem to mind much; he gave it a lick before holding it out to Claus again, as if to say 'no problem, just try not to do it again'.

Claus smiled as he took it up in his hands again. "Thanks, buddy."

He was three times as careful the rest of the time he clipped, never letting his eyes stray from the dog's paws. Once he finished with the frontal paws he moved on to the rear, clipper at the ready. The back paws' nails weren't as long as his front ones were, which Claus found a bit strange, but he clipped them all the same.

He finished just in time for dinner, when Flint emerged from their room all washed up and ready for the evening and Hinawa set all the plates and cups out for everyone. Claus went and filled Lucas' bowl with dog food before he went to wash his hands and join his parents at the table.

"Thanks for the food," was said in unison by all three before they tucked into their food. Flint and Claus both ate rather roughly, picking big chunks of omelet up with their forks and eating off that chunk, one of the only things Claus took after his father. Hinawa, on the other hand, cut her omelet into small pieces before slowly placing them in her mouth and chewing, savoring the flavor rather than gulping it down like her husband and son did. Lucas ate his dog food indifferently, not too sloppily but none too daintily either.

"Delicious as always, mom," Claus complimented as he ate, Flint nodding along with his son in agreement.

The woman giggled. "Thank you, dear. I do try," she responds, taking up another slice of cooked egg and slipping it into her mouth.

There was a bit more silence as they all focused on eating before Flint spoke, which was a pretty rare event. "So Sammy gave birth today." Sammy was their one female sheep.

Hinawa gasped and Claus turned to look at his father with surprised eyes. "Really?" they both managed to say simultaneously.

She clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful! She didn't have too much trouble, did she? What gender is the lamb?"

Flint shook his head. "It's a girl," he answered simply, continuing to eat his meal.

"Aww, how cute," Hinawa cooed at the thought.

Claus thought for a moment. "We should name her Bridget," he observed, munching on a bite of omelet thoughtfully.

Both his parents turned to look at him. "Bridget?" Hinawa asked, like she was testing the name out on her tongue. "That's nice and all, but...why?"

Claus shrugged. "I don't know. It just sorta popped into my head just now, and I thought it'd be fitting enough."

Hinawa smiled. "It kind of is...you know what, you're right. What do you think, honey?" she turned to Flint now.

Her husband just shrugged his indifference; he'd always left the naming of things up to her, the only exception being Claus. He had come up with that one.

Hinawa took another bite of her omelet. "Then it's settled. The newest member of our family is Bridget."

It was rather funny, how much care Hinawa showed for their livestock, even going so far as to call them all members of the family. Claus supposed he couldn't argue that fact; all of them interacted with the animals sometimes, whether it be to fetch eggs or feed them whenever Flint was unavailable.

A few minutes later all three of them had completely cleared their plates. Claus gathered and took them all to the sink, as today it was his turn to wash them. Flint went to repair one of the boards on the stairs, which squeaked whenever one stepped on it, and Lucas went to sit over by Hinawa, who had seated herself down on the couch. She smiled. "Good boy," she said, patting the dog on the head, but frowned when she caught sight of the dog's hair.

The redhead scrubbed the plate he had in his hands furiously. He hated doing the dishes, not because it helped his mother or because he thought it was stupid; he just always managed to drop at least one dish when he did. None of them had ever broken, but he had an irrational fear that one of these days one would and he would be cut by the tiny shards of them and his arm would fall off or something. And no, he wasn't being at all funny. His biggest fear was that of broken shards of broken objects cutting him to pieces.

But he was super careful, and he eventually finished his job successfully, not a single dish having been so much as slipped out of his grasp. He dried them all off and stuck them in their respective cupboards, satisfied with today's work. He hung the towel up on the rack from where it had come and walked back into the living room.

He was surprised to find Hinawa brushing Lucas, namely his fur, with a brush she apparently no longer used. She combed down his back with long, gentle strokes, leaving a trail of obviously brushed fur there afterwards. It made Claus smile, how much Lucas seemed to enjoy it, keeping real still so she could do it and eyes half-lidded with contentedness. He went and sat down beside his mother on the sofa, Lucas wagging his tail a bit, acknowledging the boy's presence.

Claus inspected the animal's unbrushed fur, but it seemed to look fine. "Hey, mom. Why are you brushing him?"

She giggled, continuing to brush down his back. "Well, his coat was looking dull, so I figured I'd brush it so he can look nice and new again," she answered, leaning down to Lucas and grinning. "Isn't that right, boy?"

Lucas wagged his tail some more in modest agreement.

Claus thought about this for a moment. "If that were the case," he started, taking another look at Lucas' fur, comparing non-brushed parts to brushed parts and concluding that it really did look better. "Then wouldn't you just make me give him another bath?"

Hinawa laughed. "Oh, no, Claus!" she shook her head at him. Claus frowned, not seeing the humor in his prior question. "If you bathe a dog too much, their skin will dry out. It's bad for them."

"Oh." That made a little sense. Claus continued to watch Lucas be groomed for a little while before his mind formed another inquiry. "How do you know that?"

"Flint told me. When he was little, he had a dog, too. His name was Frisky. His mother used to call them Frisky and Flinty," she giggled. "Of course, your father didn't much appreciate that name."

Aha. That must've been why Flint liked it when Claus and Lucas spent time together; it reminded him of his own childhood. The redhead wondered if Flint had felt the same way about Frisky as he himself did with Lucas.

Hinawa suddenly brought the brush away from the blonde canine's fur. "Done!" she exclaimed, admiring her handiwork. Lucas' fur did seem to shine a little, looking undeniably better than it had before. The dog wagged its tail happily and looked up at the woman with grateful blue orbs. She giggled again and pat him on the head. "It was my pleasure, dear," she said, as if answering his unspoken thanks.

By this time, Flint had finished repairing the stair and come back down the stairs to find everyone in the living room, fawning over Lucas' newly refurbished coat. The man walked over and pat the dog's head, revealing a rare smile. "Well don't you look all gussied up," he chuckled, also an uncommon action.

Lucas licked his arm in response.

Claus picked up the brush his mother had used in awe. It had a lot of hair in it for having just used it once. "Holy crap, Lucas," he said, standing up and walking over to the kitchen to pull all the fur out and into the trash can. "You're a hairy beast!"

"Yes, he is," Hinawa agreed, standing up and walking over with her husband to their room to retire for the evening. "Good night, Claus, I love you."

Claus patted his hands to get all the fur that stuck to him like glue off. "G'night, love you too." He set the brush down on the counter, figuring his mother would know what to do with it in the morning. Yawning slightly, he made his way over to the stairs, going up a few steps before turning and spotting Lucas below him, looking up at the boy and wagging his tail.

Claus motioned for him to get a move on. "Well, are you going to come or not?"

Lucas immediately waddled up the stairs after him.

Claus closed the door to his room, brushed his teeth, washed his face and changed into his pajamas in record time, but he didn't for the life of him know why he'd done it so fast. When he came out of his bathroom, he saw that Lucas wasn't on the bed yet, instead sniffing curiously at the book that laid on the floor next to said bed.

"What, are you trying to read?" Claus laughed as he picked the book up and set it on the bedside table. He'd been fiddling with the book while he was sick, and had forgotten to pick it up after all was said and done.

Claus climbed up onto the bed, settling himself under the covers and fluffing his pillow up sufficiently. He looked down again at Lucas, who appeared to be sitting on the floor, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. Claus leaned over the edge of the bed a bit. "Well, what are you doing down—"

Claus wasn't all that sure how it happened. He supposed he was leaning over just the right amount and Lucas had begun to jump just before he'd done so, but one way or another, boy lips and dog lips collided. It lasted for all of about half of a second, but that was all it took. Claus pulled away abruptly, wiping his mouth off immediately and coughing due to the not-so-great whiff of doggy breath he'd caught. Lucas _flump_ed back down onto the floor, looking surprised and awe-struck for a moment.

Claus held his mouth for a moment, horrified. Had he just shared his first kiss with a dog? He shook his head. No, that couldn't count. It had clearly been an accident on both their parts. And besides, it hadn't even been a second long. Not that Claus had _wanted_ it to last that long, but.

He returned his gaze to Lucas, who stared up at him apologetically, like he knew the implication of what had just gone down and he was sorry. Claus locked gazes with him for a moment before he laughed. "Aw, I forgive you. Complete accident, anyway."

Lucas' expression immediately and he jumped up onto the bed successfully this time, right into Claus' lap. The boy laughed, petting the adorable animal across the back gently. He really was cute.

When the redhead yawned, Lucas knew what it meant and was off him in a flash, settling into his own side of the bed with no qualms. Claus snuggled up to him, feeling content once more, and the two were both asleep faster than you could say 'soundly sleeping'.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: BESTIALITY WHAT—no, I kid. Claus is not attracted to the dog. Or is he? I don't even know anymore.**_

So, I feel like this chapter was lacking somehow. For that, I apologize, but on the bright side, I'm temporarily halting work on my other _**U**__**rf**__**B**__**ownd/**__**Mama**__** fic, Protector, to get this one properly going.**_

So, yeah. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc.

Later, homies. -throws gangsigns-


	5. I Found a Boy!

_**DISCLAIMER: No. Just no.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Claus stirred a little bit, unwilling to wake up as of yet. He had just had a really good dream, but he had already forgotten what it was about. He snuggled up to the warmth beside him, comfortable and absolutely sure that he'd be able to sleep for at least ten more minutes because he was sure it wasn't breakfast time yet. His face was ticked by the fur of the dog next to him, and he had to hold back a sneeze. Leaning away for a moment, he opened his eyes a little just because.

A moment of silence. Then...

"Holy _shi—_!" _FLUMP_.

That was the sound of Claus falling off his bed backwards and landing on his back with a hiss. Rubbing his back, he peeked up over the edge of his bed with incredulous eyes. He had to have been seeing things, right? Or maybe still dreaming? But no. What he had seen before still laid on his bed, nonchalantly dozing the morning away.

Whereas he had expected a dog, on top of the covers laid what else but a boy. This boy lay facing him, hands crossed under his head as he laid on them like a pillow. He had blonde hair that flipped up at the front kind of like an ice cream cone and was completely naked, much to Claus' alarm. Upon closer inspection, he had a red collar on. _Okay. What in the unholy hell...?_

The redhead wasn't sure what had caused the boy to awaken, the cursing out loud part or the falling off the bed part, but it did, as his eyes fluttered open, and Claus' own green eyes met an unmistakeable shining blue hue. _No. No, it can't be._

The blonde boy smiled once he spotted the redhead, but upon recognizing the half horrified, half bewildered look on the poor guy's face his own turned confused. He made to get up, possibly to get a better look at the redhead, but froze when he noticed his own arm. He then looked down at the rest of himself for a second, appearing to be taking it all in.

Then he screamed.

Which in turn caused Claus to scream, and they both scrambled up to their feet, yelling and carrying on so much that one would have thought someone had died. Claus was back to silence after a minute, but the other boy just kept screaming at his reflection in the mirror, like he didn't know what else to do. Claus eventually couldn't take it anymore. He ran up to the nude boy and put a hand around his mouth, successfully silencing him. He looked scared.

Claus didn't know why he was whispering now, when they'd already pretty much woken the entire town. "Who the _hell_ are you, and why are you _naked_ and _in my room_?"

He hesitantly removed his hand from the boy's mouth, and he instantly began spouting gibberish. "I—it w-was—I d-don't even—you a-and me—d-dog—I'm—_Lucas_," he finally managed to spurt, still panting from his prior outburst. His voice was similar to Claus', though it was significantly higher.

Claus' eyes flashed. "What?" he asked, not fully believing what he had just heard.

"L-Lucas, I'm Lucas," he said again, much calmer than before. "I was y-your dog."

The redhead looked at him up and down for a moment before he frowned at him. "You're a liar."

Lucas' face immediately fell. "W-what? I wouldn't lie to you, Claus, r-really I wouldn't..." he trailed off with a pitiful expression plastered to his face.

"But you are. And I don't even know you! How do you know me?"

"I'm n-not, I swear! I am your d-dog, really!"

"That's a damn lie and you know it! Dogs don't just _turn into humans_ overnight, you creep."

Lucas looked hurt. "B-but..." he trailed off, like he knew his argument was admittedly hopeless. However, his face lit up with realization. "I know!" he exclaimed, holding his left hand out to him. "Look at t-this! I even have the s-scar! You know, the scar from m-my cut!"

Claus didn't even want to waste his time looking, but he found himself examining the hand, and sure enough, there was a scar that stretched from the inside of his palm to about four inches down his wrist, light but easily noticeable. He gasped.

"A-and that's not all!" Lucas said again, emboldened by the obvious proof he had. "I know all about y-you! You had d-dinner last night, it was omelets! Your mom brushed me and your dad f-fixed the stairs! You always splash w-water on your face before you brush your t-teeth at night! We played fetch together at the hot s-springs!" He stopped upon seeing Claus' jaw drop, knowing he had made his point. "I s-swear, Claus, I'm your dog. W-well, was."

Claus was speechless at this point. He had kind of suspected it to be true all along, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. If Lucas was a human now, their relationship would completely change, wouldn't it? It wouldn't be the same. "Y-you..." He paused. "Then why are you not a dog anymore?"

"I d-don't _know_!" Lucas cried, and one could see the anxiety on his face. "That's what I don't g-get! It s-scares me, not knowing what or w-why it happened!"

Claus didn't know if he bought that story or not, but Lucas' expression seemed real enough. He sighed, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. "_Okay_, okay," he said, walking over to his dresser and pulling clothes out. "We're going to try and figure this out, bo—er, man." He threw a pair of boxers, some denim shorts, and his red and yellow-striped shirt at the blonde, who managed to catch them all in his hands. "Just get dressed."

Lucas watched as he pulled out yet another striped shirt, this one blue and white, out of the dresser. He chuckled kind of nervously. "Why is it that you have a f-fetish with stripes?" he asked, pulling the shirt he'd had bestowed upon him on.

Claus flushed, with his back thankfully turned toward the other boy. "It's—it's not a fetish," he retorted, his tone defensive. "I happen to like them, thank you."

Lucas laughed. "I k-know, I know. Relax, I was j-joking. I think they're nice, t-too."

Claus was pulling his own shorts on when Lucas asked another question. "Claus, I p-put these on first, right?" When the redhead turned around, he was holding the boxers up.

Claus resisted the urge to facepalm and nodded. "Yep."

Once both of them were fully dressed, Claus walked down the stairs with Lucas close behind as always. When they neared the bottom, Claus stopped and turned to his now-human pal. "Just...just stay here for a second."

"Kay," Lucas nodded, whispering very quietly just as the redhead had.

Claus stepped down and observed his mother on the sofa, stretching her fingers after her morning sewing session. She had probably been just about to get up and make their breakfast. She looked surprised to see Claus up earlier than that. "Oh, Claus," she acknowledged his presence. "I heard you yelling upstairs. Did you have that dream again with the—"

"No, mom," he corrected quickly, not wanting Lucas to hear about that embarrassing dream he had fairly often. "I just...well...Lucas..."

His mother cut him off sharply. "You don't mean to tell me he's _dead_?" she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in horror.

He heard Lucas work hard to stifle a bout of laughter behind him, something that his mother thankfully hadn't heard. "_No_! No, no, he isn't dead," he waved his hands around, trying to think of a good way to explain this to her. But if there was anything he'd learned from the woman, it was that honesty is the best policy. So Claus took a deep breath and just said it. "Mom, Lucas turned into a boy."

At first Hinawa stared at her son with a blank expression on her face. Then she started to laugh. "Claus, honey, you must have been dreaming!" she giggled. "I'm sure he's just hiding under your bed or something."

Claus sighed. "No, I'm pretty sure he wasn't." Stepping back a few paces so he was back in front of the stairwell again, the redhead pulled Lucas by the arm of his shirt out to show his mother.

She jumped a mile and screamed for a second, shocked at the prospect of another, foreign boy in the house without her knowing. "Oh, oh my," she breathed, looking at Lucas with a overwhelmed expression.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Claus said, pointing to his face. "See, he's got the same eyes and the exact same hair color, he even still kind of acts like him." Lucas looked sheepish, not used to being scrutinized so much, especially like this. Then Claus took they boy's left hand and pointed out his scar. "Lookit, he's even got this! And he described what everyone did last night! That's undeniable proof."

Hinawa had stood up and approached them slowly, mesmerized by the scar. "Well, I'll be..." she trailed off, sizing Lucas up now. "I suppose there's no choice but to believe it," she said, still rather shaken up, taking note of the red collar around the boy's neck. "How did this happen?"

Lucas answered for himself now. "I-I don't know, ma'am," he murmured, looking at the floor. "One minute I was s-sleeping and the next I w-wake up to find C-Claus staring at me. I didn't even f-feel it or anything."

Hinawa put a hand on her chest and _hmm_'d. "Well, isn't that just the strangest thing," she said, because this was the only thing she could come up with. Claus and Lucas looked similar, unable to think up any scenarios that might involve a dog magically turning into a human overnight. "You have always been a dog before, right?"

The question sounded silly coming from the woman, but in this case, anything was fair game. Lucas nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, a-always! I can't remember a t-time when I wasn't a d-dog."

Claus then thought about the discrepancy between Lucas' human age, assuming about sixteen, and dog age, about three. "How far back can you remember?"

Lucas thought again. "Erm...six m-months."

Claus' eyes widened. "What do you mean, six months? You're clearly older than six months!"

Lucas looked confused himself. "I-I know! I just...can't remember," he thought out loud, desperately trying to recall. "I remember back to my f-first owner, but that's it."

Hinawa gasped. "First owner? So that means you've had more than one of them?"

Lucas nodded. "R-right. I've had f-four now. But none of them come e-even close to how wonderful you all a-are!" he exclaimed, his tone genuine.

Hinawa giggled for the second time that morning. "Well, thank you. Did your last owner live around here then?"

Lucas scratched his head sheepishly. "...I'm n-not sure. I just remember having them, not s-so much the details."

Hinawa gave a small 'oh' and Claus sighed. A dog-turned-human with very little prior memory and no idea how it even happened. How in the world were they supposed to even _begin_ to explain something like that?

"A-and anyway, I'll be sure to leave right away," Lucas cut into their thoughts again, fiddling with the hem of the shirt he wore. "I know I've probably o-overstayed my welcome anyway—"

"Nonsense," Hinawa waved the suggestion off without a second thought. "If you really are Lucas, which I'm afraid I believe you are, you're not going anywhere. You're still a part of the family."

Lucas' eyes widened at her kindness.

"And besides," Claus said, crossing his arms. "Where would you go?"

Lucas had apparently thought it through. "Well, f-first I'd get a job, and then I'd find a-an apartment!" He made two determined fists with hands. "You can always teach an o-old dog new tricks!"

Hinawa laughed. "Well, in this case, that won't be necessary," she said, and her word was final. "You're staying with us just like you were before, Lucas."

Lucas looked ready to cry. "B-but, Mrs. I-Itoi," he began, touched by how easily Hinawa just accepted things no matter how strange they were. "Y-you shouldn't be so n-nice...I mean, I-I know how much it takes t-to feed just three people, l-let alone four..."

"Oh, stop it," she reprimanded lightly. "Please, just call me Hinawa. Mrs. Itoi makes me feel old!" She giggled. "And we have more than enough to feed you. Now, you're staying, and that's final."

And finally, Lucas could take it no longer. He closed the distance between them and pulled Hinawa into a big hug, very grateful for her words, because he knew that anyone else would have kicked him out and left him to fend on his own with a strange new body. "Thank y-you thank you th-thank you thank you—"

Hinawa hugged him back with no hesitance whatsoever. "Oh, dear, you're quite welcome," she patted him on the back. Lucas quickly pulled away once he realized that he was hugging, looking sheepish again. Claus could tell it would be a common thing.

Now Lucas turned to Claus, seeming like he was going to tell him something, but instead looked at his head. Then a large grin appeared on his face. "Hey," he pointed, then put a hand on the top of Claus' head. "I'm t-taller than you!"

Claus rolled his eyes for a moment before he realized that the blonde was telling the truth. Lucas was about two a half inches taller than himself.

"S-shut up," he narrowed his eyes and swatted the taller boy's hand away, cheeks a very slight shade of red. He didn't know why this fact embarrassed him; Lucas was a magical dog-person, and therefore would probably be taller anyway. At least, that's how he chose to justify it.

Hinawa laughed along with Lucas. "Even Fuel is taller than Claus! He just hasn't hit his growth spurt yet," she ruffled her son's thick red hair playfully. Claus just muttered otherwise under his breath. Hinawa's expression suddenly changed and she began to think. "Now then," she said, walking over to the kitchen and opening a drawer up. "Lucas is going to need clothes and shoes and a toothbrush," she said as she grabbed the drawer's resident wallet and pulled out some money. "We also need groceries, too, so grab those while you're out."

Claus was confused. "Wait, wait. We're going now?"

"Yes. Don't worry, breakfast will be waiting for you when you both return," she giggled before closing the drawer and handing the money to Claus.

"And Lucas is coming with me?"

"Yes. He does need to pick the clothes out, honey."

Claus shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I'm bound to run into people, and they'll all ask where Lucas is and who Lucas is," he paused as he thought about what he'd said. "The dog and the boy respectively, of course."

Hinawa put a hand to her chin in thought. "That's true," she concurred.

Lucas suddenly spoke up. "Y-you could always tell them that the dog r-ran away," he began, looking out the window. "A-and that I'm a lost t-tourist that you're taking care of t-temporarily." He scratched his head. "I know i-it isn't the best excuse...w-wait, I know! I'm a t-tenant! Or maybe a m-maid of some sort!"

Hinawa laughed. "I think the tenant story is the best excuse. Yes, that's fine, I would say."

"Okay then. So, all the usual groceries?" Claus asked as he walked over to put his pair of shoes on. He tossed a spare pair to Lucas. "Just wear those for now."

Hinawa nodded. "Yes," she affirmed as she sat back down on the couch to finish up her sewing, as it looked to be almost finished.

Claus stood up, but kneeled again with a small sigh to help Lucas tie his shoes. "Alright. We'll be back soon."

_-asdfjkl;-_

"C-Claus, does this shirt m-make me look fat?"

Lucas had been trying on clothes for a least half an hour now, and he was apparently a very indecisive person; Claus was practically picking his outfits for him. He now had on a vertical striped red and white tee, and he twisted around to observe himself from all sides. "I think it m-makes me look fat."

Claus did not hold back his facepalm. "Lucas, it doesn't make you look fat. You aren't fat." _I just saw you naked like an hour ago, dammit, you're far from overweight._ "Seriously, you're acting like a girl."

The blonde puffed his cheeks out. "Well excuse me for w-wanting to look nice! I've never b-been able to wear clothes bef-fore." He looked at himself again in the mirror. "You r-really think I look ok-kay?"

Claus sighed. "Yes. And this is more than enough clothing too," he observed, noticing the large pile of clothes Lucas had deemed okay in their basket.

Lucas suddenly looked horrified. "A-ah! You don't th-think I got too m-many, do you?"

Another sigh. "No, Lucas. Just...just go change back into your regular clothes and let's go get the groceries already."

So he did, and they were off again. They went to pick up various things of necessity, like milk and cheese and vegetables and a few cuts of meat. Even though Lucas had been to the store numerous times before, he was still impressed by the selection their's had. He looked at everything with curious eyes, and Claus thought he was acting rather stupid, touching all the boxes and murmuring under his breath 'I wonder what this t-tastes like' before he remembered that Lucas, having been a dog, has never had any of it. He makes a mental note to let him have a soda at dinner that night.

At one point, Claus asked that Lucas go and get a pound of tomatoes while he went to pick out a nice head of lettuce. When he came back, he found Lucas putting his hand on the little hanging scale, watching the pointer spin around curiously. Claus came up behind him, an unamused expression on his face. "Lucas."

Lucas didn't even turn to face him. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing."

"Trying to s-see how much I weigh."

_Oh my God_. He had to struggle to keep the smile off his face as he took Lucas' hand off the scale and shook his head. "You...you know what, we'll find out for you later. Now," he said motioning to the bag of tomatoes in his hand. "Is that a pound?"

Lucas shook his head. "N-no, I think one more will m-make it a pound. Here, I-I'll get it," he said, reaching for a tomato from the bottom of a giant display of them.

Claus realized why this was critical and tried to reach a hand out stop him, but he was too late. "_No_, Luca—!"

And then it was raining tomatoes. The two were bowled over by the cascade Lucas had inadvertently caused by removing a tomato from the bottom of the huge stack. Luckily the staff that had to come over and pick up all the tomatoes were pretty good sports about it, laughing at the two boys who now lay on the ground, the redhead sighing and the blonde rather dizzy.

They decided to check out after that, neither wanting to wreak any more havoc on the poor store. As they stood in line, Claus was suddenly extremely aware of something as Lucas read the names of all the candy bars laying to the side of the small aisle. "Let's see, th-there's Caramello, T-Twix, Fuh...Fererro Rochair? Uhm, H-Hershey's, Snickers, Kit Kat, P-Payday, Reese's..."

"Lucas."

"Hm?"

"Are you still nervous?"

Lucas looked at him and straightened himself up, a confused expression on his face. "...no. Why do y-you ask?"

Claus deadpanned. "Then why do you keep talking like that? All stuttery and stuff."

Lucas immediately frowned. "Claus, I c-can't help it. It's a speech i-impediment. It isn't like I w-want to talk like this, for a-attention. Hardly anyone ever t-takes me seriously."

Oh. Damn. Claus felt bad now. He was suddenly very grateful for his fully intact motor skill. "Oh...sorry, man."

Lucas' expression softened. "Don't be. It isn't y-your fault."

As they moved up to put their groceries on the belt, another question wiggled its way into Claus' mouth. "Hold on. How did you know it was called a speech impediment? And how would you know you had one if you've never been able to talk until now?"

Lucas opened his mouth, as if to answer him nonchalantly, but stopped as his own face turned thoughtful. "Y'know, n-now that you mention it, I d-don't know," he finally said, placing miscellaneous items on the belt to he scanned. "It just kind of c-came to me, I guess."

As the cashier scanned their stuff, Claus put his hands in his pockets. "Well, maybe you were a person at some point in the past, and you just don't remember."

Lucas thought about this for a while. "I guess that m-might be true. But why would I have f-forgotten in the f-first place?"

"Why would you have turned into a _dog_ in the first place?"

"...t-true."

They walked out of the store together, each holding two bags. Lucas held his clothes and Claus held the groceries, which looked to be heavy by the way he strained to hold them. Lucas paused right outside. "Hey, you take a b-bag of my clothes and I'll t-take a bag of groceries. That way the w-weight is spread out more e-evenly."

Claus gladly complied, and they were off again. Lucas still looked sheepish. "Sorry for g-getting so many clothes. Now you've got to c-carry more than you need to."

Claus laughed. "At least I have someone to help me out with them now!"

_-asdfjkl;-_

Hinawa was bustling around the kitchen, busy preparing dinner. She was making strips of chicken tonight, covered in a special breading before being laid on a pan to be baked in the three hundred fifty degrees oven for around twenty minutes. Claus had offered to help, but she'd politely declined him, thinking it better to just make it herself. But she enjoyed it; besides sewing, her favorite hobby was to cook, something which her husband was very grateful for. He couldn't cook to save his life.

Said husband currently sat at the set dinner table, staring at Lucas a bit warily. Hinawa had explained the whole situation while they had been out getting groceries, and when they'd come back he nearly had a heart attack at how much resemblance Lucas had to his canine counterpart. The man seemed to believe the story, for what else was there to believe?, but he still looked at Lucas with a strange expression, not even bothering to hide it.

Lucas sat beside Claus at the once-empty spot on the table. He knew Flint was staring, and was doing his best to ignore it, but he still looked rather out-of-place, eyes darting to and fro and fiddling with the red collar around his neck. Claus was debating with himself on whether or not to start a conversation, but what would they talk about? The weather?

Lucas ended up saving him the trouble. "Mrs. I—er, Hi-Hinawa, you don't have to m-make any for me! I'll...I'll eat dog f-food!" he blurted out, half-startling everyone else.

Hinawa whirled around, eyes wide and appalled that the boy had even suggested such a thing. "_Lucas_! Good heavens, do you really think I'd do something so barbaric?"

Lucas looked ashamed of himself. "O-oh, no, ma'am, I just th-thought that it would be a t-terrible waste o-of food, and I even l-like the taste of dog f-food! I mean, not to s-say that I p-prefer it to your c-cooking, b-but..."

Claus put a hand on the blonde's shoulder to try and calm him. "Dude, relax. She's not going to feed you dog food. At least, not anymore."

Hinawa's dress swished as she set about cleaning the kitchen up as the chicken cooked. "That's right," she said, wiping the counters off. "You're going to like this much better than dog food, I'm sure."

Lucas' face was red, and he chose to shut up before he said something even stupider. Claus yawned, resting his head in his hand propped up by his elbow. Flint had closed his eyes and sat back in his chair with his arms crossed. Hinawa sat down next to her husband and intertwined her hands, waiting patiently for the meal to cook. They all sat in silence, not necessarily because it was awkward, but because they were all comfortable with the lack of conversation.

Soon the dish was done. After a few minutes of setting up plates and placing them in front of everyone as well as divvying up napkins and utensils, they all were seated once more, and everyone said the traditional, "Thanks for the food." Lucas' sounded more like, "Th-thanks for the f-food," but still.

Lucas didn't seem to notice everyone else wait for him to take the first bite and get a good look at his reaction; if he had, he would have been pretty embarrassed. He cut a slice off his first strip and stuck it in his mouth unceremoniously. After a few chews and the flavor really setting in, his eyes widened and he looked at Hinawa like she was some sort of goddess. "I-it's so delicious!" he exclaimed, earning a chuckle from everyone else.

Everyone focused on eating rather than talking; they were all pretty hungry to begin with, and the smell of the chicken doubled that hunger almost instantly. Flint surprisingly was the first one completely done, and he offered to do the dishes, something which Hinawa gladly allowed. Claus finished second, but stayed to watch Lucas plow through his meal without even having touched his glass of dark brown soda on the table. "Lucas. Aren't you going to take a drink?"

Lucas looked up, as if noticing the glass for the first time. Swallowing his bite, he scooted the glass toward him and took a small sip. He closed his eyes real fast as he swallowed and gasped. "It was all f-fizzy!"

Hinawa and Claus laughed. "Yeah," Claus agreed. "But it was good, right?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, it was sweet and h-had a lot more flavor th-than water does," he said as he took another full-size swig of the stuff. Pretty soon he had downed three-fourths of the glass, realizing that he still had half a chicken strip left. He seemed...jittery. Probably from so much sugar in so little time.

When both Lucas and Hinawa had finished, they set their plates in the sink for Flint to wash up. He did them pretty fast for someone who hardly ever did them, and soon the four were standing around each other, saying their goodnights.

Hinawa hugged Claus. "Good night, sleep tight, and have good dreams," she said to him, holding him for longer than usual. Lucas and Flint just kind of stared each other in the eyes and mumbled a half-hearted 'g-good night' to one another.

Then Hinawa hugged Lucas, proceeding to remove the air from his lungs in the process. "And the same goes for you, dear," she said, patting his back when he finally hugged her back hesitantly. "Have wonderful dreams!" Claus and Flint just wordlessly hugged for about half a second. That's just the kind of man Flint was.

As the parents headed back to their room, Claus motioned for Lucas to come upstairs as well, turning off the living room light as he did so. Lucas gladly followed.

Claus allowed the blonde to use the bathroom, since he didn't have much need to use it himself; he'd done so before dinner. The only thing he did was change into his pajamas, a simple black shirt and gray sweats, and go sit on his side of the bed, next to the nightstand. He still couldn't believe that his dog had turned into a freaking _human_ _boy_, but there wasn't much room for doubt. He just sighed, sliding under the covers. There wasn't much he could do besides befriend the guy, was there?

Lucas exited the bathroom then, donning a white long-sleeve shirt and black sweats. It was then that Claus again noticed his cowlick hairdo, and wondered if that was just how his hair naturally came together. It seemed to suit him, though, because the redhead couldn't imagine any other style of hair on his head.

The blonde snuggled into the opposite side of the bed, fluffing his pillow up and curling himself into a big ball. Oh yeah. Falling asleep with another guy in one's bed was going to be a bit awkward. Though in his defense, that had slept together prior. It just wasn't going to be the same. At all.

"Good night, C-Claus," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the way his head lay on the pillow. He didn't seem at all fazed.

"Good night, Lucas." He closed his eye and waited for sleep to come. Surprisingly, Lucas' breath slowed in no time, and in five minutes he was fast asleep. Claus figured hearing someone else breathing would be annoying as hell, but he actually found the sound to be relaxing, strange as it sounded. He mirrored his breathing pattern, and soon enough, he was sleeping soundly, too, dreaming of nothing in particular.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: So, YaoiGirly and Lulu called it. I guess I was foreshadowing too much. I never know how to keep my mouth shut! xD Anyway, kudos to you. And do all the chapters have to end with people sleeping? They always do. This is because I suck.**_

So what did you think? Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Seriously! They make me smile and get pumped to write the future chapters. C:

This has been Lukeprism, signing off!  



	6. The Beach

_**A/N: There's something I'd like to say before we get into the chapter. So LISTEN. ...please. :P**_

_**To Autumn's Leaves- Oh my God. You...you just blew my mind. Like, seriously. That picture you drew? I died. It was so freaking cute, like asjkdlpwksnzmlsk. I can't even describe it. Thank you so much for showing me that, it made my entire month! It's my new iPhone wallpaper, so I squeal every time I unlock it. Yeah. Thanks for the kind review too, that also means a bunch! Here's the link to said picture, for those who'd like to see it (I hope that's okay with him/her, lol). It's Claus and doggy!Lucas:**_

_**http:/oi54 (dot) tinypic (dot) com/20gy2o1 (dot) jpg**_

_**Removing the spaces, of course. And speaking of reviews, a big thanks to those who've left them! I love yah. C: As for those who haven't left one... I love you, too. xD but leave one, please? I'll give you a virtual highfive! -BAM-**_

_**Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled Puppy Love. And by the way, this chapter's more Lucas-centric. Derp.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, nothing at all, no, I really don't!~**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Lucas stretched himself out as far as he could, completely satisfied with the amount of sleep he'd gotten. Shifting a little, he lay under the sheets with a contented sigh, enjoying the warmth that they offered him. Opening his eyes slowly, he was greeted by bright red hair and his own hands. Yeah, hands. He still couldn't believe that he was now human. If he said he hadn't wished for it on occasion, especially recently, than he'd be a filthy liar, but he'd never have thought that God would actually _listen_and grant his request.

Using these new hands of his, he took a few strands of that red hair in between his forefinger and thumb and played with it a bit, rubbing it and twirling it around his fingers lightly. The hair was thick but soft, much like his own, and it was entertaining enough to the boy to mess around with, so he continued to do so for a minute, ignoring all else around him.

Eventually the owner of the hair stirred as well. He yawned, parting the mane of red with his face peeking out sleepily. He looked at Lucas weirdly for a moment, like he'd forgotten yesterday's events, before he recognized the blonde for who he was. He blinked a couple times. "Mornin'."

Lucas smiled at him. "G-good morning, Claus."

The other buried his face in his pillow before raising himself with his arms and slowly rolling off the bed with another yawn. He seemed tired, his eyes bleary and his movements dazed and clumsy as he trudged toward the dresser they now shared. Lucas didn't understand. "Claus, are y-you tired?"

Claus paused his actions, thinking about his taller friend's question. "Yeah. Kept waking up last night," he finally answered, opening the drawer and rummaging around in it.

Lucas hopped out of bed and over to the redhead's side in one swift movement. "Well then, w-why don't you just sleep some more to m-make up for it?" he asked, opening a drawer below his and gathering an outfit of his own for the day. Since they shared the dresser, Claus had the top two drawers, and Lucas' stuff was in the lower two.

"Because if I do, I feel like I'm wasting daylight," he replied, stripping down to his boxers and dressing himself for the day.

"...oh." Lucas didn't really understand that feeling; having been a dog, all the time he wasn't doing things with he'd slept away. He hardly even knew the meaning of the word 'tired'. He shrugged, following Claus' lead and getting dressed for the day. _I guess it comes with time._

As they both descended the stairs, Lucas in a shirt that matched his sparkling blue eyes almost perfectly and white shorts that extended down to his knees and Claus wearing a simple white shirt and denim shorts, they detected the delicious smell of bacon. Upon reaching the bottom, they were greeted by the sight of pancakes and bacon awaiting them on the table, freshly made and everything. Hinawa laughed when she saw them. "Well, good morning, you two!" she chirped happily. "I was just about to call up for you!"

Claus hurried to his seat, sliding in easily and licking his lips in an effort to prevent his drooling. "No need, we're right here," he assured, making her laugh again.

Lucas took his own seat next to the redhead, staring at the food with wide eyes. He's tasted bacon before thanks to Claus, and the stuff was awesome. But he had no idea what the flat brown things on his plate were. With the way Claus stared at them longingly, though, they had to be good, so he waited for Hinawa to sit down anxiously, so he could taste these wonderful things for himself.

After a unanimous "Thanks for the food," he observed Claus put a think brown substance on his flat brown things, so Lucas did so as well, pouring just as much as he had. He of course had to try his bacon first, which was definitely as good as he'd remembered it to be. But cutting his first flat brown thing into tiny pieces and sticking the first one in his mouth, he experienced a whole different kind of good. His taste buds were overloaded at how sweet it was, with the thick brown liquid absorbed into the food like it was a sponge. He swallowed quickly and made his astonishment known to the world. "Wow, those f-flat brown things are really good! So s-sweet and gooey!" he exclaimed as he shoveled in another bite.

Claus and Hinawa laughed with each other at Lucas' naivety with things the two considered to be so mundane. It was amusing, and borderline cute.

After their meal, during which Lucas had learned the names of the flat brown things and the thick brown liquid, pancakes and syrup respectively, they both sat on the couch contentedly, patting their full stomachs and becoming very tempted to doze off once more. In fact, the redhead nearly did, his eyes closing and his breathing slowing a bit.

Hinawa managed to snap them out of their food coma. "So, boys," she said, standing next to the couch and crossing her arms. "I was thinking we could go out and do something today."

Claus' eyes opened and he looked at her questioningly. "Huh? I thought you had to work today?" he said, noting the nearly-finished dress laying on the table in front of them.

She waved it off. "I still have a week to finish that order. We should do something together today, the three of us," she said, winking at them. "Of course, Flint can't come; he's busy as always."

Claus nodded, as if this didn't surprise him. "Yeah. So, what did you have in mind?"

Hinawa smiled even wider. "I was thinking the beach; I don't know if Lucas has ever been, and I really need to work on my tan. I'm so pale!" she laughed, brushing her fair skin lightly.

Claus' face lit up. "That's actually not a bad idea," he mused, sitting up straight now and looking thoughtful. "We haven't been there in awhile..."

Hinawa nodded. "That's what I noticed." She turned to the blonde now. "What about you, Lucas? What do you think?"

Lucas knew what a beach was, but he hadn't ever been there before. The prospect sounded exiting enough, especially if the other two were there with him. He nodded fervently. "Yeah, that s-sounds nice!" he agreed. He would have regardless; even if they'd suggested a visit to the local garbage dump, he was too polite to refuse the golden-hearted Hinawa.

The woman clapped her hands together with a large smile. "Great! Then it's settled." She twirled around, walking back into the kitchen. "I'll pack our lunches. You two, go change!" she commanded lightly, shooing them away with her hands.

Claus led the way back up the stairs. He opened his drawer and pulled out two pairs of swim trunks out of his drawer, one pair black and blue and the other two different shades of green. He threw the black and blue ones to Lucas, who caught them just in time. "Here, you can use my spares," he said, pulling his shorts down his legs once more.

Lucas did the same, facing away as Claus did and leaving himself butt-naked before he pulled the trunks on and laughed at how they were a teeny bit too big for him. "So, is the b-beach nice?" he asked, imagining a tropical island of sorts with girls in hula skirts and shirtless men roasting weenies over bonfires in the sunset.

Claus got his own trunks on as well. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. The water's nice and clear, and I always have a good time there."

Lucas smiled, looking forward to the experience then. "A-awesome. Hopefully I'll know how to swim w-when we get there," he said.

Claus looked at him now, an eyebrow raised. "But you could swim just fine at the hot springs," he reminded him, running fingers through his hair idly.

"Well, yeah, but I-I assume swimming as a person would b-be pretty different."

"...true."

"And I hope you k-know CPR."

"Why?"

"I might drown, and y-you'll have to rescue me!"

_-asdfjkl;-_

The sun shone down on them, bright and warm. It was definitely hot outside, but that was the entire point, so they could cool themselves off in the water. Lucas had discovered that even the sand was hot as he sprinted to the water just to cool his poor feet off, Claus laughing as he did the same. Hinawa set up shop a little ways away; despite what she'd said earlier about getting a tan, she had a large beach umbrella overhead and laid on a long beach towel, watching her son and his friend wade in the water with a smile on her face. Her long brown hair twitched lazily in the slight breeze, and next to her sat a brown picnic basket, packed for later.

Lucas gazed up into the clear sky and then down again to the sparkling blue waters, completely impressed with this place so far. It was beautiful, shining waves lapping at the grainy white shores and scattered people either swimming around or lounging around on the land. The small gusts of wind every now and then were exhilarating, carrying the magical smell of the salty sea to his nose and filling him with a sense of fulfillment.

Claus splashed about beside him. "Well, are you going to swim or what?" he asked playfully, going out deeper.

Lucas didn't respond, instead choosing to grin and follow him out instead. The water wasn't too warm, but it wasn't too cold either, just a perfect medium as he submerged himself deeper and deeper into the water. They both stopped when the water reached their shoulders, Claus looking at him expectantly.

"Well?"

Lucas took a deep breath, telling himself that he could do it. It couldn't be that different, right? He backed up a bit before he dived forward, and his arms automatically started to move on their own and propel him forward. They alternated, one coming out of the water completely before descending again and pushing back while his other arm came up to repeat the process. It was more than a bit weird at first, what with his arms moving almost of their own accord, but he got used to it fast, like he'd known how to swim like this all along.

Claus watched in astonishment how well Lucas seemed to be able to swim before he to joined in on the aquatic antics, paddling around beside him and referring to the technique as the doggy paddle with a laugh. They just fooled around like that for a while, swimming and splashing each other and floating and laughing, and even racing a few times to see who was the faster of the two. They each won one, but on the third it was so close they debated about it for five minutes and ended up calling it a tie just so they could move on.

Lucas, however, soon discovered how disorienting salty water in one's eyes could be as he dove, as he started flailing about in the water with his eyes squeezed shut. "_Ahh_! It—it b-burns!" he cried. Claus had to drag him back to shore himself, as Lucas claimed he couldn't see.

After his eyes had ceased their burning, Lucas suggested that they build sandcastles. Claus, not one to seem childish in any way, shape, or form, reluctantly swallowed his pride to sit beside the blonde on the beach and help. After all, he'd never done anything like this before, so he deserved to do it at least once.

The blonde would pat some sand on after Claus finished his own work, but it was for the most part Claus who was doing all the work, making the basic skeleton before Lucas could even begin to do anything. If asked, Lucas would complain about the lack of work he was given, but inside he was content with just watching the redhead pile the sand around, creating four distinct towers and even a moat around the base. He hadn't really been able to notice before, but Claus had a nice body. He may not have been tall, but he was still relatively thin, and didn't have a six pack or anything, but there was very little, if any, baby fat left on his features. His mildly thick legs lay strewn lazily out of the way as his long arms gathered sand from a hole beside him and added to their beach castle. His hands were small, but they worked efficiently enough, able to put distinctive features on each of the four towers. The boy's face was currently set into an intense frown, trying to get the moat to an equal width and depth on all sides, but he still looked good, with his hair hung over his face. And his eyes. They were the prettiest shade of green Lucas had ever seen, usually bright and expressive despite Claus' attempts to hide it. Lucas decided that, had he himself been a girl, he would definitely be attracted to the other. Claus suddenly sighed heavily and met Lucas' eyes with a bored expression.

Lucas didn't know why his cheeks suddenly went a little red. Must have been all the sun he was getting.

"I'm done, you can take it from here," he said, standing up and stretching. "I'm gonna go take a nap."

Lucas laughed. "Okay. Have fun w-with that!"

The blonde admittedly didn't get too much else done with their castle. He created a throne inside of it, molding a small pile of sand he dubbed the King of Sandom, the queen sitting beside him in another throne, and even smaller piles of sand that represented servants and knights, bustling around and getting things done for the royalty. But other that that, the only things Lucas did were minor cosmetic touches to the outside of the castle, like carefully adding little windows or making a bridge across the moat to the castle, a feature which Claus had forgotten.

He looked back to see that Claus had been telling the truth: he was sleeping. He was curled under the umbrella with his mother, who was also dozing, to evade an accidental sunburn and breathing slowly and gently, and Lucas didn't have the heart to wake him up. He'd just have to entertain himself for a bit.

He walked across the length of the beach, looking at the ground constantly and hunting for little shells that caught his eye. He found a few small ones along the way, and at the far end of the beach he found a pretty big conch shell, one which he held up to his ear in an attempt to hear the sea and gasped when he discovered that it was true. He took it with him as he continued his beach combing, going back the way he'd come. Claus met him halfway, insisting that he had been worried when he woke up and found Lucas gone. Needless to say, the redhead had escorted him back from there.

Hinawa was also awake upon their return, so the trio decided it'd be a good time to have lunch. Hinawa passed out a sandwich, little baggie of chips, oatmeal cookie wrapped in a napkin and bottle of water to each of them, and they all ate in satisfied silence. Claus was full before he even began to eat his cookie, so he offered it to the blonde, who took it with no qualms.

They then returned to the sand castle, which had withered slightly, but Claus laughed at Lucas' rendition of the throne room and patted his head lightly, making Lucas flush again. Maybe he'd been spending too much time in the sun today?

They both waded back into the water again for another bout of swimming, this time much more relaxed instead of playfully competitive. Claus demonstrated how to float on one's back, and Lucas replicated it with aplomb. He just lay on top of the water for a little bit, letting the waves have their way with him and carry him closer to shore. He stared up at the sky, noticing how the sun had already begun to dip down toward the horizon again. Already? They couldn't have been there for that long! He supposed that this is what was meant by the saying 'time flies when you're having fun'. He felt like he could've stayed there like that forever, ignoring his wrinkly fingers and tender feet.

When he was stung by a jellyfish, however, everyone decided that it was probably time to return home.  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

Lucas let out a content sigh for the fourth time that day. It was becoming a common occurrence. He was freshly showered and ready for bed, happy with how the day had turned out. He definitely liked being human better than a dog. Opposable thumbs were so handy!

He ignored the sound of running water still coming from the bathroom. Claus was still brushing his teeth, having also just taken a shower. Lucas just sat on the bed waiting for him, having nothing much else to do, before he noticed the book laying on his nightstand: The Art of Cartooning. He grabbed it and opened it curiously, wondering what it was all about, when a flurry of paper fell out of the front and onto his lap. But it wasn't paper from the book itself. Interesting. Lucas gathered these papers up and, upon further inspection, they were all various sketches of things, some looking pretty realistic and others clearly cartoony. There were drawings of Claus, Hinawa, Flint, their house, their animals, the beach, the forest, the boy named Fuel he'd met a couple times, the Angie girl that Claus didn't seem to fancy, and various other things. He even saw a couple doodles of what looked to be Lucas, while he had still been a dog. And they were all very good.

He giggled at them all, staring at them all intently, not even noticing the redhead exit the bathroom. As soon as Claus saw what Lucas was doing, he gasped and leaped over to him, snatching the papers and books away with a red face. "Don't—don't look at those!" he scolded, stuffing the papers back into the book and setting the book back down on his nightstand hurriedly.

Lucas laughed. "What are you s-so worked up about? Calm down, I'm not g-going to _eat_them," he said nonchalantly as he climbed under the covers of his side of the bed. "I think they're really c-cool."

Claus mirrored his actions, turning the lamp off as he did so. "Yeah? Well...thanks. I just don't like people looking at my doodles. They're...not good enough," he mumbled, facing away from the blonde. "Good night, Lucas."

Lucas chuckled. He never would have thought the boy beside him to be one to have an inferiority complex. "G-good night, Claus," he answered him, facing the other's back and relaxing into his pillow.

They both laid there, dozing in the silent darkness, before Lucas' inquisitive mind formed a rather awkward question.

"Claus, why was there a d-drawing of a naked lady in th-there?"

A pause.

"Huh? Oh. That was anatomy practice. ...don't giggle like that, dammit, I'm _serious_!"

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r**—

_**A/N: Darn! I was going for a whole chapter with no cursing. Damn you, Claus, and your swearing problem. And the beach segment has very little dialogue. I thought I'd explain with actions rather than words. Did I do okay? Lol.**_

_**Aaaand, that's it, folks. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. They are appreciated lots!**_

_**Bye. C:**_


	7. What a Coincidence!

_**DISCLAIMER: I disclaim all rights. As in, I claim no rights.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Claus lounged on the couch sideways, one leg hanging off lazily as he watched his mother put the finishing touches on yet another dress. Lucas was in the kitchen, having valiantly offered to clean up after their lunch for Hinawa, currently washing the dishes. And Flint was of course outside, always working as usual.

None of the three spoke, Hinawa and Lucas focused on their respective tasks and Claus just spacing out. After a week of living with the blonde boy in the kitchen, life was just about back to normal again. Hinawa had begun to treat him just like she treated Claus, Flint had gotten used to him and even talked to him some, and they still slept in the same bed. He technically didn't need to, since they did have a couch downstairs and extra pillows and blankets, but the redhead didn't have the heart to kick him out.

Hinawa suddenly _tsk_'d at herself, holding the spool of white thread in her hand. "Oh, dear."

Claus focused his gaze on her. "Huh?"

She was frowning at the spool, and Claus suddenly noticed that there was very little thread left. "I'm almost out of white thread," she sighed, using what was left of it and setting the now-bare spool back down on the table.

Claus sat up a bit. "Well, can't you just use a light gray color? They probably won't notice."

Hinawa frowned at her son. "Claus," she began, her tone disapproving. "That would be tacky. I pride myself in my quality work!"

"Just a thought..." he defended lightly, though he knew he was the one in the wrong. His mother would never do something like that.

Lucas came over, having finished his job with the dishes, and sat on Claus' exposed stomach, grinning at his grunt and playful attempt to shove him off. "Well, we could g-go and get some more f-for you," Lucas volunteered them both cheerily, happy to have an excuse to get out of the house and walk around.

The woman's face brightened. "If you would, that'd be great!" she said, smiling sweetly at him.

"It'd be not p-problem! Right, Claus?" he looked down at the redhead and poked him in the side as he asked.

Claus deadpanned. "Oh, of course, Lucas. But in order to do that, I need to get my shoes on, and to do that, you need to _get off me_," he pointed out.

Lucas pouted. "But Claus, he whined, "you're so c-comfy!" he claimed, bouncing up and down lightly on his middle and making him huff repeatedly. But he eventually complied, sliding off and allowing the shorter boy to get up and retrieve his shoes.

Hinawa handed her empty spool off to Lucas. "Well, thank you boys very much! Be sure to get this size and brand, if you'd be so kind," she said, resuming her work once again on a different part of the dress.

Lucas nodded at her. "Right! We'll be r-right back," he stated, following Claus out the door, as he already had his flip-flops on. Hinawa just shook her head at the two, finding their chumminess to be cute.

Closing the door behind him, Claus led the way as usual, Lucas following right beside him. Their feet kicked dirt up as they walked, using the worn path as they always did, as it was the only way to Tazmily anyway. Lucas dropped the bare spool at one point during their trek and it'd taken almost five minutes to find it, so Claus decided that he would carry it from then on. By the time they made it to town, they were racing for one reason or another, and of course Claus had won, having more human running experience; for one reason or another, Lucas would stumble every now and then, much to Claus' amusement.

One of the first buildings one passed when entering the town was the post office, a place frequented by Fuel, who always seemed to be running errands for his father, Lighter, much in the same way the redhead ran around town for things for his mother. So it was only natural that the duo bump into him on their way to the town's center. Fuel smiled in greeting as always, looking at Claus' blonde companion curiously.

"Hey, Claus!" he said as they approached. "It's been awhile again."

Claus kept his sigh within. As much as he hadn't wanted to run into anyone with Lucas, he knew that it would've happened eventually. Better to get it over with, he supposed. "Hey Fuel."

"I see you're minus one cute furry dog, and plus a stranger! Nice," he observed, winking at Lucas as he put his hands in his pockets and obviously waiting for an explanation. Lucas beamed at him in response. He'd instantly liked Fuel from the very first time they met, as a dog.

Claus chuckled. "Yeah. Kinda sad story about that. Lucas ran away," he said, rubbing his neck. He hoped his lie wasn't completely see through like most of them were; he wasn't very good at it.

But Fuel seemed to buy it, as his eyes widened and he gasped. "What? Seriously?" his tone was disbelieving. "That sucks. He must have run away from his last owners too, huh?"

Claus thought about this for a moment. Now that he mentioned it, Lucas probably had. "Yeah, probably..." he trailed off, glancing at the blonde beside him curiously. He'd never asked if he remembered. Or maybe they'd abandoned him? It was a sad thought, and Claus would never be able to see why people would leave behind such an incredible dog.

Fuel dropped the subject. "So anyway, who's this?" he motioned to Lucas, whose smile froze on his face as he remembered the situation.

Claus tried not to show his hesitance. "...he's...our tenant. Yeah. His name is, er, Lucas, actually. He needed a place to stay, so in return for doing all the chores and stuff, he can crash at our place." Yes. That sounded good.

Fuel looked Lucas up and down, contemplating this notion. "Wow, really? What a coincidence! I'm surprised Hinawa would allow that..." He then paused, rethinking what he'd just said. "Then again, Mrs. Itoi is the nicest person I know," he laughed. "So, where are you from?"

Claus now froze, jade eyes darting from Lucas to Fuel and back again. If he jumped in and tried to answer, it'd seem weird, since the brunette had clearly asked Lucas, but could the boy beside him come up with something valid? If they blew this, Claus wasn't sure what kind of excuse they'd use instead.

But Lucas seemed to be alright. "I'm from New P-Pork," he said, referring to the city far to the north of their small town, infamously known for rude people, a forest of tall buildings and huge network of roads. "The city life was g-getting old, so I came here f-for a change of pace."

Fuel was listening intently, nodding in understanding and not even batting an eye at Lucas' slightly off speech pattern. "No kidding? That makes sense. From what I hear, city life can be pretty harsh sometimes," he mused, smiling once again. "Well, welcome to Tazmily! I think you'll like it here," he predicted.

Lucas nodded in response, returning his smile. "I like it here a-already," he replied.

Fuel laughed again. "Cool. Well, I would stay and chat longer, but as always I'm needed back with dad," he admitted, looking kind of irritated at the fact.

Claus chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. We're also on a super-important mission too, believe it or not," he said, waving the brunette off. "See ya, Fuel."

"Later guys," he departed as he said this, into the post office for some reason or another. Claus and Lucas did the same, except moving along the sidewalk and towards their ultimate destination. About a block down, Claus suddenly laughed out loud. "So you're from New Pork?" he asked, amused by the idea.

Lucas flushed, looking away. "Well, y-yeah," he said almost defensively as they walked on. "I could have told h-him I was an exotic immigrant from the l-land far across the sea."

"You should have! It would have been so much more interesting that way."

"We weren't telling him a b-bedtime story!"

"Or were we?"

And Lucas couldn't help but laugh at Claus' lame reply. The redhead was always making him laugh somehow. It was why he enjoyed his company. ...at least, he was pretty sure. There was something else too, though the blonde couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

As they came up on the town square, they spotted the fountain once again, as Lucas had seen it a few times before. It always mesmerized him, the crystal clear water spewing up from the tip of the fancy marble structure, making a nice, wide arc on all sides before cascading back down into the bottom of the thing. Now that he was able to, he had a strange longing to reach out and touch it, just because.

Claus noticed Lucas staring at it, so he took out his wallet and flipped around in it while they were waiting patiently for a red light so they could walk across. He took out two coins, and held them up toward him with a smile. "You wanna make a wish in the fountain?" he asked the taller boy eagerly. "People say that your wish just might come true if you do it with another person."

Lucas looked at the coins with wide eyes. "Woah, r-really?" he asked, looking from the fountain and back to him a couple of times. Even if it was just a fun story to tell the children, it would be pretty neat if it did grant wishes. Not like he needed any more of those, but. "Sure!"

So they crossed the street quickly while the cars were halted by the light and came right up to the fountain. Lucas went to touch one of the watery arcs, but Claus slapped his hand away quickly. "Lucas, you can't do that! You'll taint these pure waters!" The blonde pretty much knew for a fact that the water was far from pure, but he laughed and put his hand down anyways.

Giving one coin to Lucas, the redhead took a deep breath. The only things that could be heard for a moment were Claus' breathing and the water tinkling down the fountain, with some idle car noise mixed in. One could wee the gears turning in his head before he opened his eyes and flipped the coin into the water. It landed with a _THUNK_ and a small splash.

He grinned, turning to Lucas. "Your turn."

Lucas turned his gaze to the coin in his hand. Hmm. What should he wish for? He didn't have the slightest idea. He rubbed the coin between his fingers a bit, and when he looked at Claus once more, it suddenly hit him. He smiled mischievously. Yeah, that was good. He'd wish for that, just to test it all out. If it didn't come true, fine. But if it did...more power to him, he supposed. He flipped the coin high into the air before it came hurtling back down with a slightly bigger _THUNK_ and _sploosh_ combo.

As they walked back across the street, Claus decided he'd ask. "So what'd you wish for?"

Lucas shook his head. "I can't tell y-you, or it won't come t-true!"

Claus rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Whatever."

Lucas shot him a questioning look. "Well, what did you w-wish for?"

"I _c-can't tell you_, or it _won't come t-true_!"

"Claus, that was a p-poor replication of my s-stutter."

"Good enough."

They were both chuckling by the time they entered the small shop. It was a specialty shop, dealing in all things needed for sewing and things like that. Hinawa was a regular customer, and as a result, so was Claus. The middle-aged woman looked up at them, and smiled when she saw Claus walking toward her. "Well, hello again to you, Mr. Claus," she said fondly. "What can I do for you and your friend here?"

"Good afternoon, Ms. Jennis," he nodded his head toward her respectfully. He liked the woman because she was nice and polite to him even though he was much younger. "My mother just ran out of some thread. White, to be specific," he informed, pulling the spool out of his pocket and handing it to her. "She needs some more ASAP, so we're on an emergency mission."

She laughed. "Is that so?" Her hands grazed the spool lightly as she identified it. "Well, I have just the thing for her," she said, turning to the storage space behind her, with many boxes and shelves of miscellaneous things. "I'll be just a minute!" she called back to them.

They watched in silence as she found her way around the area expertly, leaning over and rummaging around in a box on the floor. Claus didn't know how she did it; he would have been lost in a nanosecond. It must have been all her experience, for she'd been working this shop for as long as he could remember back. She stood up, appearing to have successfully located the required thread and walked back over to the boys.

"Here you are!" she said, setting the spool down on the counter between them. It was identical to the last, just with a bunch of pale thread whirled around it's circumference.

Claus pulled out his wallet once more. "Alright, so that's...70 DP?" he guessed, examining the bills he had on him.

Jennis laughed. "Oh, honey. Tell your mom that this one's on the house," she generously offered, picking it back up and putting it in his hand. "It's all yours."

He smiled at her gratefully. "Wow, really? Thanks, Ms. Jennis! I owe you one," he bowed his head a bit. Normally he would argue that he needed to pay, for how else would she make a profit?, but he knew it would be futile. He turned to exit the shop now, Lucas following his lead. "Goodbye!"

She gave them a wave they couldn't quite see. "You're very welcome, Mr. Claus. Have a good day, the both of you!"

The small bell on the shop's door jingled as they departed, a cheery little sound that made Lucas smile. "She's really n-nice," he observed as they walked back the way they had come.

Claus nodded with a grin. "Yeah, yeah. I've known her since I was little, and she's always been real friendly."

As they walked, Claus tucked the spool into his pocket for safekeeping, so neither of them would drop and lose the thing. There was a little lull in the conversation as they walked back, Lucas looking up at the sky and Claus wondering what in the world he was staring at.

He suddenly pointed. "Claus, look!" he exclaimed, motioning to the sky. "That c-cloud looks like a bird!"

The fact that Lucas was so excited by something so small was cute. Claus humored him, tilting his head back to look at what he was talking about. "Which one?"

"The one right above u-us, the kinda small one!"

"Ah. ...Lucas, that doesn't look like a bird."

"What? Yes it d-does!"

"No, it really doesn't. It's a horse."

"Horse? Nuh-uh! It definitely has f-folded in wings, look!"

"...I don't see it."

"You're just n-not looking hard enough. See, right th-there, at the top, there's a b-beak!"

"No, that's the horse's snout. And look there, at the tail."

"That's the...huh, you k-know, it _does_ kind of look like a h-horse."

"Toldja."

"Be quiet."

When they both returned their gazes to the ground, Claus spotted a bunch of blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail bobbing about. He deadpanned. Oh great. He'd recognize that bobbing head of hair anywhere. It was Angie, and she was headed straight for them.

Claus looked around desperately, trying to map out a quick route of escape. The general store was just a few meters ahead of them, so Claus grabbed Lucas' hand and ran toward it. The blonde boy's face reddened as he was pulled violently along. "Gah! Claus, what are you d-doing?" he asked, a little too loudly.

Angie heard this and her attention snapped to them. She smiled widely and waved at them, skipping over jollily. Claus glared at the taller boy, but in his defense, he hadn't been given much of an explanation or warning. He put on a smile as she approached, letting go of Lucas' hand.

"Hey, Claus!" she sang, hurrying up to him and giving him a big hug. "Long time, no see!" she giggled before noticing his accompaniment. She sized him up, giving his a polite smile too. "And hello," she said, her tone playful. "Who might this be?"

Claus was much more sure of his answer as he said it this time, now that it was already planned out for the most part. "Oh, this is our new tenant, Lucas," he said for the blonde, who smiled back at her courteously. "He's from New Pork."

She gasped. "Woah, your name's Lucas too? Man, what a coincidence! Speaking of that, where is your adorable little doggy now?"

Claus put on a sad face. "Well, it's kinda sad...he ran away while I was taking him out for a walk one day," the redhead explained sullenly. "Sucks, doesn't it? He probably ran away from his other owners, too."

Angie's face fell at this. "Huh? Aw, no _way_," she lamented, pouting as she looked down. "Poor little guy. I hope he's okay."

Claus smiled a little. "I'm sure he is," he said, glancing up at Lucas, who as fighting to stifle a snicker.

Her frown stayed on her face as she looked up at Claus once more. "Well, that just ruined my day! Now I need something sugary to cheer me up. Off to Caroline's Bakery for me," she said, before her lips went right side up again. "Anyway, it's been a nice little chat," she grinned, and before Claus could even comprehend what she was doing, she had wormed her way between the boys and pressed her lips lightly to Claus's cheek. Giggling, she left Claus frozen in place and Lucas staring at her incredulously as she walked past them. "Later, boys!"

Lucas wasn't sure why his fists had clenched and he was giving her departing back a dirty look. The sight of her kissing Claus' cheek irritated him, which at the same time confused him. Why? He wasn't normally one to get jealous.

Claus rubbed his cheek a few times, still shocked at what had just gone down. "Man, she just gets worse every time," he shook his head and continued down the sidewalk, Lucas hesitating and still staring at Angie's back before following him.

Lucas looked at him. "What, you mean you don't like genuinely don't like her flirting?"

"Of course not!" he replied, thinking it to be obvious enough himself. "She's way too pushy, like she expects that you'll definitely like her back or something." He shook his head. "I've never been into her, and especially not now."

"Have you ever told her that?"

"Well, no. I never get the chance. She's always doing stuff like that, like a hit and run!"

"Oh." Now that Lucas thought about it, the last time he'd met Angie, almost a month ago, she'd done kind of the same thing. It must have been difficult to deal with her shenanigans all the time. But then again, at least he had a girl who fawned over him, which was more than you could say for his buddy, Fuel. Almost a confusing love triangle.

They stopped off at the post office to check their mail, and they had a few letters today, so Claus carried those as well, heading back out of town and back home with their super-important item in tow.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Hinawa beamed at them as she proceeded to use the thread right away, continuing where she had left off before. "Oh, you boys are so good! Thank you both," she giggled, happy to be working again.

"Your welcome, H-Hinawa!" Lucas said, also smiling. He stood a bit to the side, watching her sew. "We had a good t-time, didn't we, Claus?"

Claus was sitting on the sofa once again, rolling his eyes. "Oh sure, if you count sexual assault as fun," he stated dryly.

The woman on the love seat cocked an eyebrow. "Sexual assault?"

Claus waved a hand. "Angie just kissed me on the cheek is all."

She aww'd, holding her hands together. "Oh, Claus, that's _wonderful_! My little boy and his first girlfriend, how precious!" she laughed at his red face.

"_Mom_! She is by _no_ means my girlfriend. I don't like her."

Hinawa giggled. "Deary me. Claus, you're supposed to like girls now, you're almost sixteen!"

Claus shook his head. "Whatever. Anyway, you're just lucky that I found the spool when Lucas dropped it outside, otherwise we'd have gotten the wrong kind of thread."

Hinawa laughed and Lucas puffed out his cheeks. "The wind blew it out of m-my hands! And then he wouldn't l-let me carry it a-again, Hinawa, or the mail! He's s-so mean."

Claus looked over at the blonde and winked. "Oh, c'mon. You know you love me."

And it hit him. It hit him like a wave, a big wave, a tsunami, clobbering his mind and washing all other thoughts away, so hard that Lucas nearly fell over from the force of it's impact. He met Claus' green eyes with wide blue ones, now seeing him in an entirely different light. He didn't even hear Hinawa's comment about the redhead's ego, either, his mind so trained on the boy on the sofa. It was all like an epiphany, a major realization of sorts that left his head spinning and his heart racing. _You know you love me._

Yeah. He kinda did, didn't he?

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: YOU'RE MOVING TOO FAST, YOU'RE MOVING TOO FAST—**__**I know. I'm sorry! Shame on me! D:**_

So holy crap this update came fast. I'm just super excited to write the next chapter, 'cause it's gonna contain a scene that's been in my head since I started this fic. Let's hope I can pull it off!

And yes. That is all. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, stupid mistakes like _**in the**__** last chapter, etc. etc.**_

Thanks ahead of time, and ciao! C:


	8. A Rainy Day's Shenanigans

_**A/N: You all know what Jenga is, right? Of course you do. ...but if you don't, go Google it real quick. You good now? Awesome. :P**_

DISCLAIMER: ThIs iS In aLtCaPs bEcAuSe i hAvE RuN OuT Of wItTy iDeAs. I OwN AbSoLuTeLy nOtHiNg. PiNkY SwEaR. DaKoTa.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Waking up in the morning to the sound of a thunderstorm was always rather relaxing, in Claus' opinion. The way the rain _pitter patter_ed on the window was rhythmic and calm, the sky dark and comfy, and the occasional rumbling of thunder...it all formed a great ambiance, one that Claus could doze to without a second thought. He curled up into a little ball, shifting the covers a bit to cover himself fully.

The blonde laying next to him apparently wasn't so fond of it, if his constant flinching at each rumble and flash was anything to go by. He did stay in the bed for a few minutes, trying to go back to sleep for a bit, but eventually rolled out of the bed and onto the floor after tossing and turning enough to make Claus sigh in minor irritation. He lifted himself off the floor and went to dress himself for the day, leaving the room wordlessly as he did so.

He'd been doing that a lot lately. The whole be-real-quiet-and-quick-to-leave-around-Claus thing. It was weird. Ever since about a week ago, the day they'd gone out to town and run into Fuel and Angie, he'd made himself very scarce around the redhead. They hadn't spent much of any time together, aside from sleeping, the blonde tending to stick around Claus' mother whenever he could get away with it. He could stand the shorter boy's presence sometimes, but most of the time petty excuses were made to avoid all interaction. It was irritating. Claus wasn't sure if he had done anything wrong, but the extremities Lucas went through to evade him were pretty moronic.

Claus sighed again, burrowing back into the pillow even farther. The guy was probably going through some delayed sort of trauma from his weird transformation. At least, that's what Claus told himself in an effort to explain the taller boy's actions.

When he finally came downstairs fifteen minutes later, he found Lucas helping his mother with breakfast. She was making French toast, and he was plating all of it on four different plates. Flint sat at the table, all but his hair drenched from the rain he'd had to temporarily go out in to do some mandatory animal maintenance, apparently not bothering to change clothes just yet. He would probably need to go out again in a few minutes, anyway. Claus sat down across from him in his usual spot, stomach involuntarily growling in response to the wonderful smell.

Lucas brought Flint's plate casually, just like anyone else would, normally and lacking any kind of extra oomph, setting it in front of him and receiving a deep grunt in thanks. When he placed Claus', however, he acted just as casual, but in reality only came just as close as he needed to in order to set the plate even remotely near the redhead before scurrying back to Hinawa to wait for the last two plates' food to be ready. It was like Claus had a highly-contagious disease or something. He frowned but said nothing, pulling the plate toward him.

Soon they were all seated, and the unanimous "Thanks for the food," was said before anyone began to eat. This was one place Lucas couldn't avoid him, as they sat next to each other, but only Claus could tell that Lucas had purposefully moved his chair as far away as possible from him that he could without being noticed by the redhead's parents. Claus' scowl remained on his face. He didn't know why he would notice something like that and get all pissed off, but...seriously! What had he done?

After breakfast, Flint went back out into the rain to take care of some more various things needed to be done, and Lucas sat next to Hinawa on the couch, observing her handiwork as she sewed lace onto her latest dress. Claus approached, an idea in his head. "Hey, Lucas," he addressed the blonde. "Do you want to play checkers with me? You can start."

Lucas didn't even look up at him. "No th-thanks. I'm watching Hinawa sew; I w-want to learn how!"

Claus didn't even bother to point out how he never even asked his mother a single question regarding sewing, instead choosing to frown and glower at the blonde.

Hinawa could feel the near-palpable tension in the air, too, however, and she had noticed how Lucas seemed to be avoiding her son. She had a very faint idea of what the problem could've been, though she really didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet. So she came up with a simple plan. "Lucas, dear," she paused sewing, looking at the boy beside her now, whom snapped his gaze up to her in an attempt to listen. "Would you and Claus be so kind as to clean your upstairs bathroom for me? I really would appreciate it."

Claus grinned and voiced his approval of the notion. "Yeah! I've been meaning to do that, actually."

Lucas looked like a deer in headlights, conflicted between his Claus-avoidance and his respect for Hinawa. But as the woman had expected, he couldn't very well say no to her, and he stood up pretty unceremoniously. "Y-yeah, of course," he answered, his tone less than enthusiastic.

She smiled sweetly. "Thank you both! You two are such good young men, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Claus laughed and gave her a smart reply, secretly thanking her for her quick wits, while Lucas simply trudged along behind him, following the shorter boy up the stairs slowly.

Once in said bathroom of theirs, Claus was tempted to close the door just to keep Lucas from running away, but decided against it; too creepy. The bathroom wasn't very big, but it was long, with a separate bath and shower area. It was reminiscent of a master bathroom, the only exception being it's lone sink on the opposite counter. While Lucas stood to the side, near the bath, Claus dumped some cleaner in the toilet before handing it off to the blonde. "Here, you can clean the bathtub."

Lucas took it, examining the label. "But Claus, it s-says toilet cleaner," he pointed out, looking confused.

Claus grabbed the toilet brush from the corner of the room. "Yeah, but it works on either one. Just spray it on and let it sit for ten minutes, then scrub it off."

"Oh." He gave the bottle an experimental squeeze, giggling when a few bubbles came out of the tip of the plastic container. "If y-you say so."

So Lucas did as he had been told. Claus scrubbed the inside of the toilet out before setting the toilet brush aside and spraying handy dandy Lysol on the counters to clean them up a bit. He had Lucas clean the large mirror with Windex, which his long arms served the purpose well. At first, Lucas had stayed a minimum of one foot away from the shorter boy at all times, but had relaxed into his presence and was even willing to stand next to him in order to reach up to the very top of the mirror while Claus rinsed the sink out.

Then Lucas began to scrub the tub while Claus cleaned the toilet's exterior. He smeared the bright blue liquid all around, puzzled by why it wouldn't remove the build-up of red stuff in the corners, and rubbing lightly around in an effort to clean. Once Claus was done with his task he observed Lucas at work, and rolled his eyes at how he was doing it. "Lucas," he began his reprimand, kneeling right behind the blonde and grabbing the brush where the taller boy's hand was. "You gotta really scrub at it, it's not going to just do the work for you—"

He was cut off by strangled gasp and the boy he was talking to shooting away from him like lightning when Claus inadvertently brushed his chest against his back while he'd been demonstrating how to properly scrub. Lucas stood near the doorway, breathing heavily, and staring at Claus outlandishly. What the hell? And why was his face red? He hadn't been working near hard enough to be tired out now. The taller boy didn't give him any room to question him though, for he grabbed a wet washcloth, dropped to his knees and began to remove built-up dirt and dust from the floor intently, not daring to meet the redhead's eyes. Claus debated on whether to ask him what was up or not, but decided against it since the guy probably wouldn't tell him the truth anyway.

So they both continued to clean in silence. As soon as the bathroom was in an acceptably more clean state, Lucas fled, racing back downstairs and leaving Claus alone once again. He sighed. Really, what was that guy's problem?  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

Hinawa sat on the love seat, sewing quietly as she always did while the rain came down in sheets, not having stopped since that morning's thunderstorm. Flint sat on the sofa, comfortably dry and idly reading a book that sat in his lap, licking the tip of his finger and turning the page every so often. Claus sat at the living room's table, playing Jenga with himself, grinning again as he was able to slide another block out from the tall tower of wooden rectangular prisms. He now had sixteen pieces out of it, an impressive total for him.

Lucas trotted down the stairs, apparently out of things to do upstairs by himself. He observed the quiet scene in front of him and did not speak, merely sitting down across from the redhead and watching him attempt to pull another block away and succeed.

Claus raised an eyebrow at him, wondering about the sudden change of heart, but Lucas appeared to be determined to avoid his gaze, instead choosing to size up the wooden tower curiously. The shorter boy sat still for a moment before he began to put the pieces back into place.

Lucas frowned. "What are y-you doing that for?" he asked quietly, finally looking at him now.

Claus met his eyes sharply, causing Lucas' to flicker before he averted his gaze to the table. "We're both going to play."

Lucas looked up again tentatively. "Huh? But, I d-don't know how to play..."

Claus shook his head, disregarding the taller boy's comment. "It isn't all that complicated," he said as he replaced the prisms expertly. "You just take turns pulling them out, and whoever ends up making it fall loses."

When he'd finished his actions and the tower was complete again, Lucas' eyes strayed up at it. "So you j-just take any one you w-want?"

"Yeah, but you don't want it all to fall down." He motioned up to the top of the large stack. "And you can't take any from the top five layers, either. You go first."

So Lucas did. He sought out an edge piece, sliding it out and placing it next to himself on the table. He waited while Claus made his move, the boy pushing a middle block out carefully with his finger and catching it in his other hand. Then Lucas mirrored his previous move, except much lower in the tower, and Claus did so too.

This went on for a few minutes, until Claus expertly removed the other side of a stack, leaving the structure teetering on just one block. He shot the blonde a smug smirk, knowing that it was all over. And when Lucas tried and failed to slide a piece from the highest point possible, it all came down with a loud _CRASH_, the pieces scattering everywhere on the table and around on the floor near them. Flint and Hinawa jumped at the sudden sound, but Claus was laughing.

"Ahahah! Beat you! And I even let you go first!"

Lucas' face was red.

"Well, I've never e-even played before! Of course y-you'd win! I declare a r-rematch!"

And so they played a few more matches, Claus sweeping them all easily. Lucas tried time and time again to best the shorter boy, but his clumsy movements weren't helping him any and he finally gave up, pouting at Claus for being such a god at Jenga. They both laughed together for a few minutes before settling into the silence, momentarily content to be still.

Lucas lay on the floor, looking up at Hinawa from where he was pretty easily while Claus sat against the couch, deciding to put the Jenga pieces away in their box. The rain still came down rather heavily, but it lacked the lightning and thunder from earlier in the day. Claus had just finished putting all the pieces away before Lucas all but knocked the table over as he went to get up.

"Claus," he said, "do you l-like the rain?"

The question was sudden and out of the blue, and Claus was shocked at the effort of conversation when Lucas so clearly wanted nothing to do with him four fifths of the time, but he answered the blonde all the same. "Sure," he replied, leaning back into the sofa more. "It's relaxing."

Lucas smiled at him as he went and raced up the stairs and into Claus' room. Claus cocked an eyebrow at the now-absent boy's actions. Just what in the world was he doing now?

The redhead's expression did not fade when he came back down with an umbrella. "Lucas, what exactly are you doing?"

Lucas beckoned him over, standing next to the front door. "It's a s-secret! Just come on!"

Claus had his doubts, but something about the blonde's demeanor seemed...desperate. And it was the first time Lucas had come out and asked him to do anything with him in a week. He sighed and stood up, slipping his shoes on his already-socked feet. "Alright, fine. But if I catch a cold, I'm blaming you."

Hinawa looked up at the boys now. "You two be careful," she advised, noting the weather. "Don't get lost because of the lack of visibility."

"Don't worry, Hi-Hinawa, we won't go very far o-out," Lucas promised before he opened the door, letting Claus outside first before he too exited and shut the door behind them.

The taller of the two managed to get the umbrella opened and up over their heads before they set out, and once they left the covered porch the rain started to batter the umbrella as they walked.

Claus stared at Lucas out of the corner of his eyes in silence. Of course he wondered where they were going, but he was also curious about his sudden change of attitude. Not that he didn't like it, but. The blonde didn't speak, looking to be preoccupied with finding their way out in the rain.

A few minutes later he apparently found it, as he stopped and grinned down at Claus expectantly. It was a ledge of sorts, near their house and hanging over the side of a cliff, with a clear view of the now-empty beach and the stormy sea below them. It was just dark enough to be relaxing, but just light enough to be pretty. The rain really brought it all together, making the ocean waters ripple and turning the sky into a big sprinkler system, watering everything within its reach.

"Here we a-are," he said, looking back out at the world. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

Claus held the tip of one finger out in the rain for a moment, shivering a bit at how cold it was. He smiled. "It's beautiful."

Lucas' face brightened. "I thought you m-might think so!" he laughed. He then looked down with a small frown. "I was thinking we could sit here, o-on this rock," he said, pointing down to the boulder right in front of them. "But it's wet. I should've brought a t-towel or something."

Claus saw the look in his eyes, the look that told him he'd been looking forward to this for at least a few days. He looked down at the rock also. "Well, why not just sit on it? I mean, really, what's a bit of water going to do?"

Lucas beamed at him in response.

They maneuvered themselves a bit clumsily, carefully synchronizing their movements so that they sat at the same time. The wetness to the boulder was a bit uncomfortable at first, but it was easily gotten used to. They sat there together, enjoying the serenity of the scene and the overall calm state nature was in. There was a breeze buffeting them, hard enough to cool them off but lightly enough that no rain was blown into them, thankfully. There was scarce room under the umbrella for two sixteen-year-old boys, so it was a given that they'd have to sit touching one another, but Lucas didn't seem to mind it; in fact, he appeared to be leaning into Claus as much as he dared, their arm hairs tickling one another lightly. Claus rolled his eyes at him. How bipolar could you get? But the redhead was admittedly glad for Lucas' change of heart. He would have asked about it, about his rather strange behavior lately, but he didn't want to ruin the peaceful moment, so he just sat there, leaning back into Lucas as well as they both stared out through the rain at the cloudy sky and shadowy sea, burning the image into their heads.

They both sat there a long time, enjoying the scene side by side, until it was significantly darker outside, and they decided that they'd best make their way back home in the rain that had decreased into a measly drizzle during their time outside before Hinawa began to worry about them.  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

They lay in bed silently, Lucas for once facing away from Claus while the redhead faced Lucas' back.

"Lucas."

The blonde did not move. "Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

A pause. "What do you m-mean?"

Claus frowned into the darkness. "Lucas, you know what I mean. You've kind of been ignoring me lately." He paused, thinking about how to word his next sentence. "I just don't understand what I did. I did do something, right? Or maybe you're feeling weird about all this or something? Perhaps you just don't like me, or you think I don't like you..." He internally smacked himself for sounding like such a fool, missing Lucas' momentary flinch at that last suggestion. "The point is, I can't help you or anything if you keep it all to yourself. You can talk to me about stuff, y'know?" he said, staring at the back of the blonde's head. "That's what friends do."

Lucas was silent for a moment. "Y-yeah, I know," he relented, sighing. "But there's n-nothing wrong. Really."

Claus sighed as well. Oh well. He'd tried. If Lucas still didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't his place to butt in. The room was silent once more as they both shut their mouths.

But then, Lucas rolled around so that he faced Claus. He smiled. "Thank you for a-asking, though," he said.

Claus nodded his head minutely. "No problem," he replied.

The blonde's face faded into a neutral expression once more. Claus suddenly noticed how close they were to one another, with little more than an inch's space between them. So close that he could faintly feel Lucas' breathing on his face, smelling minty and fresh.

"Claus."

"Yeah?"

"Can we get c-closer?"

It was an odd question, to be sure, but it sent a faint shiver up his spine, the way Lucas had asked it, in a small whisper. He looked at Lucas' face, and saw nonchalance, but the perceptive observer would have noticed the pleading hidden deep within his blue eyes, like this was something he needed badly. His breathing was a bit fast, like his heart had begun to beat faster.

Claus was unsure of why this thought caused his own heart beat to jump. And he knew, the implications of what Lucas had asked. But maybe, just maybe, he was reading too far into it, maybe it was just an innocent gesture. This was why Claus agreed. "Sure."

Lucas hesitated, as if he thought he'd misheard, but a few seconds later Claus felt an arm snake around his waist beneath him, gently tugging him closer to the blonde while another arm latched onto his back, completing the embrace. A long leg softly nudged it's way between the shorter boy's, nuzzling against them lightly, as much as the blonde dared. Claus felt a hand in his hair, ghosting over his scalp so gently he had to bite back some kind of gasp. Lucas' thumb ran over his skin ever-so-delicately, as if he was afraid that too much pressure might break the boy he stroked. The taller boy rested his head lightly on top on Claus' own, still softly petting his hair. He breathed in slowly, deeply.

"This is nice," he murmured, content with their position.

Claus honestly didn't know what to do. So much for being innocent. Lucas' touches were too gentle, too carefully thought out, and the way he held him was way too intimate to simply be unassuming. It felt...nice, though, to be held and touched like this. Despite how unnerved he was on the inside, Claus couldn't help but lean into the other boy, inhaling his scent lightly. He smelled sweet, like cookies.

As Claus didn't complain, Lucas did not move, and they laid like that until they both fell asleep, legs tangled and the blonde holding the other like that would be the last time he'd ever see him.

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_**A/N: YOU'RE STILL MOVING RATHER FAST, WOMAN—**__**Yes, I know! But dammit, I can't do anymore filler chapters! And I don't think you guys would like them much, either. Dx -smack'd-**_

Fluffy. Just how I like my chapters. :B Anyway, thanks so much fer readin'! Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. They make me melt into a puddle of giggles every time!

Love you much~. C:


	9. Claus' Second First Kiss

_**DISCLAIMER: I own all of this! Mwahahah! ...But that's a lie. I don't, not really. EarthBound/Mother belongs to the Shigster Itoi-man and Nintendo.**_

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Claus lay on the couch horizontally, legs resting over Lucas' lap as the blonde read a small book while he himself closed his eyes for a few minutes, just relaxing into the calm silence. His mother was still sewing, like she always did, busy with a fairly elaborate looking white dress that Claus had assumed was a wedding dress. It was hard to believe his mother could make beautiful things like that from scratch. Sure, the sewing machine in his parents' room helped a lot, but she was still a pretty talented woman.

The redhead was just glad that things were back to normal between the two of them, between him and Lucas. For the most part, anyway. Their days were again spent more or less together at all times, Lucas having snapped out of his short avoidance stage. They ran errands together, occupied themselves in the house together, did chores together, and basically went everywhere together. They seemed to be the best of friends, and even Hinawa and Flint had grown fond of the taller boy's presence around the house.

The one thing that confused Claus was their nighttimes, when they slept. It had become a sort of bedtime ritual, for Lucas to pull him into an embrace and play with his hair before they fell asleep. The second and third times he'd asked for permission again, but by the fourth and last night, the fifth, he hadn't even bothered to do so, though he did go slowly, as if offering Claus the chance to deny him. He never did. And it was weird. They never did touchy-feely things like that anywhere else, even if they were alone. He knew Lucas must have had feelings for him; he could see it in his eyes when their gazes met, sometimes. But he'd never once made an effort to do anything more than hold him. And the redhead wasn't sure if he really wanted him to try, or if he even felt that way for Lucas in return. It wasn't right, after all. Lucas wasn't a girl.

But he couldn't ever bring himself to say no to Lucas' bedtime cuddles. He liked the way it felt too much, to have his hair messed with, to feel his breath faintly on the back of his neck, to be held so tenderly. It made him sound like a stupid love-sick little girl, but.

Lucas suddenly broke his train of thought as he patted one of his legs in an attempt to get his attention. "Hey, C-Claus," he said. "It's dark outside n-now."

Claus blinked. "Sure is."

"Wanna go look at the ssstars real quick before Hinawa starts d-dinner?"

Hinawa suddenly looked up, noticing for herself just how dark it was. She apparently hadn't noticed because Flint hadn't come inside for said dinner yet, as he had gone to Lighter's place to discuss something with him. "Oh my, is it that late already? I'd better get started straight away!" she exclaimed, laying the dress carefully to the side before she stood up and stretched.

Claus answered the blonde's question. "Yeah, sure." He swung his legs off of the taller boy and rolled off the couch, yawning and stretching himself out as well as Lucas hopped up and grabbed their flip flops. They both slipped a pair on and bid Hinawa a quick goodbye before stepping out into the cool night air. It was a nice feeling, just chilly enough to be refreshing as they strode forward, Claus mainly following Lucas. They eventually came up to a boulder sitting very close to the edge of a small cliff, the same one that overlooked the sea, where they'd sat in the rain and enjoyed the scenery.

They both sat on it side by side, Claus on the left and Lucas on the right. The two tilted their heads skyward, observing the heavens like Lucas had suggested. There were a few small clouds up above, but other than that, all was clear. They stared in silence for a minute.

"They're pretty," Claus said, absently trying to spot constellations.

"Mhmm, they're really s-something else..." Lucas agreed, also looking around. "Ah! See that up th-there? It's the Big Dipper!"

Claus nodded, watching the stars twinkle. "Yeah. That's the only one I can ever spot," he confessed with a laugh, rubbing his neck.

Lucas giggled. "Really? I think I s-see Gemini," he remarked, leaning back a bit.

"Really?" The redhead squinted his eyes in an attempt to locate it, but failed. "Where?"

"Right up there." When Claus still couldn't see it, Lucas laughed and pointed. "See it? The twins."

He followed Lucas' finger before finally making a sound of recognition. "Oh, I see it," he said, connecting the dots accordingly in his head. "Huh, they're twins?"

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "Their names are C-Castor and Pollux. They were born to two different f-fathers, though, Castor to a warlord a-and Pollux to a God, Zeus. Ergo, P-Pollux was immortal, but Castor w-wasn't, and when he died, Pollux b-begged his father to ssshare his immortality with his brother. T-that's how they ended up there i-in the sky, eternally together."

"You don't say..." Claus mumbled, fairly interested by the constellation's backstory. After a few seconds his face lit up and he turned to Lucas curiously. "Lucas, how did you know that?"

Lucas laughed and shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not e-entirely sure. It just came to me..." He gazed back up at the stars. "I've always liked them, th-the stars."

Claus supported himself with his hands on the boulder behind him, leaning back to get a better view. "Maybe you were an astronomer in a past life?"

Lucas laughed again. "I don't think dogs c-can be astronomers," he pointed out, glancing at the redhead playfully.

"Well, who said you had to come back as the same thing you were? It isn't exactly a choice."

"True enough."

As their eyes scanned the sky, admiring how well you could see the celestial bodies from where they sat, Lucas leaned back to support himself with his arms similar to how Claus did, in the process brushing fingertips with the shorter boy. It was clearly an accident from the way Lucas flinched at the unexpected contact, but he didn't make a move to separate their hands. Claus didn't see much of a problem with it, so their fingers stayed in that position for the rest of their time spent silently stargazing.

After what seemed like about fifteen minutes or so, Hinawa's voice could be heard faintly as she called them back to the house. "Boys! Dinner's ready!"

Upon entry, the two discovered that she'd heated up a stew she'd cooked the night before last, with chicken and various vegetables and herbs. Flint sat at the table, apparently having just got home since his brown hat was still on his head. The bowls and glasses already sat on the tables, so the only things missing were the two boys.

They sat down in near unison. "Sorry for making y-you wait," Lucas apologized for them both as they sat, Claus blowing on his steaming stew in a futile effort to cool it.

Hinawa laughed. "Oh, it isn't a problem at all! I just finished serving it up, anyway," she said, also seating herself next to her husband. She inclined her head a bit and clasped her hands together in her lap. "Thanks for the food," she said, and all three males around her repeated her words simultaneously before Claus immediately took a big slurp of the chicken broth. It was a dumb move; he quickly spit it back out and _haaah_'d at it's heat, as it had effectively burned his tongue.

Lucas took care to actually blow on his first bite, almost rubbing it in Claus' face as he got the spoonful down his throat no problem. Hinawa put a hand over her mouth and giggled at him as she readied her own bite. "Claus, dear, it's a tad hot."

Even Flint couldn't completely stifle his laugh, and Claus cast his eyes sideways, huffing and cheeks red. "I was hungry, da—dangit." He tried again, this time being sure to blow on the bite instead of the whole bowlful of stew. It worked wonderfully, the stew not burning him at all this time around. Funny how that worked.

While the younger two ate rather quietly, Hinawa addressed her husband. "So, what did Lighter say?"

Flint set his spoon down momentarily to answer her. "He said he'd be by tomorrow afternoon."

"Is that so?" she _hmm_'d, taking another spoonful of stew into her mouth. Then she smiled. "I'll have to bake something for them then."

Claus would have asked why Lighter was coming over if he'd been paying any attention. He was currently focused on blowing on all his bites, to avoid another potentially bad tongue burn. He was also rather tired; they'd usually already be in bed right now, and the fact that he'd woken up early that morning because of a bad dream didn't help the situation any.

Surprisingly, Lucas was finished with his bowl first, so he was the one left behind to wash dishes instead of the usual Flint or Claus. Hinawa and Flint said their goodnights to the both of them before retiring to their room while Claus did the same, aiming to clean himself up before bed.

He shut the door to said bathroom, night clothes in hand, and debated on whether to take a bath or shower. In the end he decided upon a shower, because a bath would just take too long. He turned the knob over to the hot side, allowing the water spray down onto the gray tile before closing the glass door to let the water get hot and strip himself down. Or he could just shower in his clothes. But something told him it would be rather inefficient.

Once his body was bare, he observed himself in the mirror on the other wall. It had been a while since he'd actually taken time to look at himself. Had he gotten taller? It was probably just his hopeful imagination. He was sixteen years old, yet he was only a measly five feet and seven inches tall. When they were growing up, he'd always been the taller of the boys in town, towering over Fuel and Nichol easily. Once he hit thirteen, though, everyone else started to shoot up like weeds, leaving him short for the first time he could remember. Even Fuel, who'd been universally recognized as the shortest of them, was taller than him now, even if only by half an inch. He sighed, running fingers through his thick red hair. Pouting about it would get him nowhere.

He tested the water to see if it was hot enough for his tastes. It was, and he got in, closing the glass door behind him. The water felt good, cascading down his body like it did, drenching his hair and dampening his skin. He just stood there for a moment, relishing the feeling before he commenced with the cleansing part of the process. A small palmful of shampoo was all he needed, plopping the stuff on his head and lathering until there was a big ball of white on his head. Then he rubbed some soap on a washcloth next to him and scrubbed all over his body, from face to toe. Afterwards, all that was left was to rinse everything off, so he did so, lingering long enough to make sure every bubble had been taken away by the flowing water.

Having spent a grand total of five or six minutes in the shower, he turned the water off and exited, going to grab the towel that hung on the opposite wall. As soon as he grabbed it, however, the bathroom door opened.

Lucas walks in, dressed in a white shirt and his boxers and completely oblivious to the fact that Claus had just gotten out of the shower. He didn't notice this until he was a few steps in already, when he actually looked at the frozen redhead in front of him. His eyes lingered on him for just a bit too long before he did a 180 degree spin and mumbled his apologies. "Er, C-C-_Claus,_ I'm s-sorry, I didn't r-realize you just took a shh-shower," he justified. "I was going to g-get my p-pants from last n-night."

Claus glanced over at the dirty clothes basket, and sure enough, there were the taller boy's black sweats hanging on the edge. Taking a few steps over to the basket, he picked them up an threw them at the retreating blonde, the pair landing on his head rather comically. He squeaked his thanks and hurried out, practically slamming the door behind him.

The redhead sighed. Perhaps he should remember to lock the door in the future.

When he emerged from the bathroom fully clothed and with brushed teeth, the blonde was buried beneath the covers on his side of the bed. He flinched a bit when Claus climbed in beside him, but other than that he was perfectly still. The shorter boy could practically _feel_ his embarrassment. Once he turned the light on his nightstand off, though, the arms he expected to wrap around him were nowhere to be found. He waited a few minutes, but sure enough, it seemed that Lucas planned on skipping the routine entirely. Claus didn't know why this bothered him.

He turned toward the other body in his bed. "Lucas, you do realize that I'm not mad at you or anything, right?"

Lucas didn't move. Nor did he answer, at least, not right away. "...you aren't?"

"'Course not. I could tell by the look on your face that it was an accident," he pointed out. Actually, the expression on his face had been priceless, like a mix of awe and holy-shit-did-God-_really_-just-let-this-happen with a little bit of a deer-in-headlights look. He would have laughed had he not been stark naked. "And plus, we're even now."

"What d-d'you mean?"

"That first morning, I saw you in your birthday suit too."

"H-huh? Oh...right. I s-suppose."

"...But it _was_ an accident, right?"

"O-of course!"

Claus laughed. "I know, I know. Just messing."

They both lapsed into silence, Lucas still facing away from the redhead. The smile Claus had had on his face slowly melted back to a neutral position. Was he really not going to do it? "Lucas, aren't you forgetting something?"

"...N-no, I already brushed my t-teeth."

A stifled laugh. "That's not what I mean. Aren't you going to use me as a teddy bear?"

Lucas was silent for a moment. He then rolled over, so that he now faced Claus, a small smile on his face. "So you're sssaying that you w-want me to? I won't d-do anything that you don't w-want."

Claus was glad Lucas couldn't see the stupid blush on his face in the darkness. Was that true? Did he want Lucas to hold him? "O-only if you want to, that is."

Now it was Lucas' turn to laugh. "Oh, c-come here," he said as he tugged the shorter boy close to him, an arm around the waist and a hand in his hair, playing with it. Their legs playfully shoved against one another for a second until they found their rightful places, too, and Claus didn't hesitate to put his own very slightly tentative arms around him as well. There was one difference tonight, however: normally Lucas would position himself so that his head would rest on top of Claus', but this time their faces were only centimeters apart. Claus discovered that he had indeed brushed his teeth; his minty breath was warm against his face. They just lay there like that, gazing at each other for a while. Then Lucas' smile slowly turned into a very tiny frown, his eyes suddenly less amused.

"Claus..." he began, running fingers through his hair, "c-can I do something s-selfish?"

Claus' breath hitched at the way the blonde had said it, his voice uncharacteristically deep. He wasn't entirely sure what to do. Something told him that this wasn't a wise course of action, but that look in his eyes. It was honest and silently pleading, as if promising not to go overboard, and just asking pretty please with an omelet on top? How was he supposed to say no? "...go ahead."

Lucas waited a moment before he closed his eyes. When Claus saw his face begin to move forward, he closed his eyes too. _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod._ He involuntarily tensed up, anxious and strangely excited. If Lucas was doing what he thought he was doing, than it would be his first experience of the sort. He wondered what it would be like as he waited expectantly, the unable-to-see part heightening his other senses slightly.

Then...boom. Lucas' lips ever-so-slowly pressed against his, very lightly, as if he was scared. Claus marveled at how nice it felt, his lips soft and warm and fitting comfortably on his own. He almost forgot that this was bad, a bad thing, what they were doing. They were both boys. Lucas wasn't even entirely human, for all he knew. Was this bestiality?

The kiss did not intensify. It stayed very tentative, innocent and sweet, and neither boy minded this. Claus didn't kiss back, but he didn't move away, either. He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about all this. But it felt good, and he was sure that Lucas both wanted and needed this for whatever reason. Why not? It was harmless. Right?

Their mouths disconnected, Claus finally opening his eyes again to meet Lucas' blue ones looking down at him. Neither of them spoke. What would they say? Neither could find words to express their thoughts and feelings. Besides, men didn't do that sort of thing, anyway. And they weren't men, but they would be someday.

They fell asleep like that, just staring at each other wordlessly until eyes closed from sleepiness and each drifted off to the world of dreams.

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_**  
A/N: KFFF—I feel like this wasn't entirely long enough. I'm sorry. Five days and I give you a rather short chapter. :( But they kissed. This makes up for it. Right?**_

So I was originally going to stop _**at this point**__** entirely, and mark the fic as completed. But now that I think about it, it doesn't feel done, does it? Hmm. What do you all think? Should I keep going? I do have a few more ideas...**_

But enough blabbering! Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Pretty please with an omelet on top.

Ja ne! C:


	10. Fixing the Fence

_**A/N: So, uh, wow. I got some positive responses, yeah? Looking back, I sound like an idiot saying I thought I should stop. After a week I probably would've been writing it again anyway...xD**_

Anyway, those positive comments inspired this chapter! Thank you all, everyone that's reviewed, and to those who like to lurk and not review, thank you all too! But a review, just one, even, would make my day. C:

DISCLAIMER: I promise you I own not a thing.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

Claus nuzzled into the warmth that embraced his subconscious form, satisfied with the amount of sleep he'd gotten yet unwilling to pull himself out of bed. The morning light poured into the room, illuminating both his hair and the blonde's next to him, preventing him from going back to sleep. He grumbled faintly and tightened his grip on Lucas' shirt, willing himself to move. It was just too comfy.

Lucas stirred now, opening his eyes to stare at the redhead he held. He wondered if last night had been some amazing dream, not knowing if Claus had actually allowed it or not. Either way, he smiled like an idiot and exhaled peacefully. "G-good morning, Claus."

Claus raised an eyelid in return. "G'mornin'."

Lucas began to lightly twirl Claus' hair around his finger. They both lay there in silence for a few minutes, each still rather sleepy. "Don't you th-think we should get up n-now?" Lucas asked absently.

Claus shot him an indifferent look. "Not particularly. I'm comfortable. Leave me alone."

Lucas chuckled. "Okay, okay." He sniffed the air a bit. "I smell omelets, th-though..."

There was a pause during which Claus opened both of his eyes, and after which he began to move away, intending to get up now. Lucas laughed. "Geez, Claus, o-omelets could convince y-you to do anything!" he grinned as he also rolled out of bed, landing on his feet.

Claus yawned. "Yes, and for good reason. They're freaking delicious." He said this as if there was no denying the fact, pulling open his drawers and grabbing the first shirt and bottoms that he saw.

Lucas showed a little more care, actually taking a minute to choose a shirt and shorts that would compliment each other. "Indeed they a-are," he agreed with a smile, turning away from Claus as he began to undress.

When they trotted down the stairs fully dressed for the day, they were mildly surprised to see Flint sitting at the table this morning. He usually ate really early in the morning, a couple hours before Lucas and Claus even got up, so he could do the things he needed to do; take care of the animals, take care of the plants, and things like that. He had just finished his omelet, and was in the process of taking his plate to the sink. On the way back, he nodded to the two boys pulling out their chairs in a silent greeting, choosing to sit on the sofa himself.

Hinawa noticed the two as well, looking over her shoulder with a spatula in one hand and a pan's handle in the other. "Good morning, boys. Breakfast will be ready in a moment," she smiled, turning back to her cooking. The smell of egg and various herbs made their mouths water as taller and shorter boy alike sat down.

True to her word, the omelet took less than a minute to make. She set two plates on the table, one in front of each boy. With a quick "Thanks for the food," they tucked into their meal, each eating a tad slower than normal.

Claus nearly had a foodgasm, hunching over his plate after the first bite and exhaling sharply. "My God, it's so _good_," he extended the last word much longer than needed. "Seriously, mom, what do you put in these things? Awesome sauce?"

Hinawa giggled at how easily her son was impressed. "Just a secret combination of herbs! And green peppers. Also, eggs, if you want to get technical."

Lucas swallowed his third bite ravenously. "Well, it's d-delicious," the blonde said before stuffing a fourth into his mouth.

The woman giggled again. "Thank you." She set the omelet pan and spatula in the sink and turned the stove off, so the boys assumed she had already eaten prior. She went and sat down in the living room, looking at her sewing with disdain. "Wouldn't it be nice if dresses would just make and fix themselves?"

Flint grunted. "It wouldn't look as good as your work does," he pointed out bluntly.

She laughed at his compliment. "I suppose not," she tapped her chin.

Lucas and Claus finished their meal at about the same time, so Claus offered to wash the dishes. He scrubbed away at the porcelain dishes as Lucas sat down opposite Flint on the couch, observing Hinawa sew quietly just as the older man did. Claus accidentally dropped one of the dishes back into the sink, causing a loud noise and him to violently flinch, afraid it had broken into pieces. But it hadn't, much to his relief. He sighed a shaky sigh before continuing, ten times more careful than he had been before. A few minutes later he was done, and as he was putting away the last of the dishes, there was knocking at the door. Claus looked over his shoulder curiously as Flint was up in a flash, opening the door like he knew who it was.

"Mornin', Flint," he heard a just as gruff voice say from behind the doorway. He couldn't see him, but he knew exactly who it was: Lighter, Tazmily's best carpenter and Fuel's dad.

"Lighter," Flint tipped his hat to the other man in acknowledgement. "And Fuel."

The redhead also heard Fuel's higher, obviously-in-a-good-mood voice too. "Good morning, Mr. Itoi!" There was a slight pause. "And good morning to Mrs. Itoi and Lucas, too!" Closing the cabinet, Claus walked over to where the two visitors could see him and vice versa. Fuel gave him a little wave too. "Hey, Claus," he grinned.

Lighter appeared to be looking at Lucas up and down, almost as if sizing him up. "So this is your tenant?" he mused, stroking his bearded chin. "He's a bit younger than I expected."

"Maybe, but he's really nice!" Fuel pointed out, grinning now at the blonde, whom returned the gesture.

Hinawa giggled, looking up from her sewing. "Yes, he's very polite and helpful," she said, causing said boy to blush a bit. "A nice little addition to our family."

Lighter grunted. "I see. Anyway, let's get started. Who knows how long this could take," he said, motioning for Flint to follow him as he stepped off the porch and to the side. Claus was curious as to what they were referring to, so he slipped his flip flops onto his feet and trailed Fuel, who also seemed to be in on all this.

"Hey man," Claus said, "what are you guys doing?"

Lucas walked up behind them as well, also wondering what was up. Fuel laughed. "Well, your dad came over yesterday and talked with my dad some. We're here to reinforce your fences, 'cause apparently one of the sheep broke the fence yesterday evening and a couple ran off. He caught 'em before they went too far, though."

Claus gasped. "Seriously? Damn, the fences are only four years old," he put his hands in his pockets as they walked around the house. "That's weird."

Fuel smiled. "Well, your dad put them up himself, right? That's pretty impressive for an amateur job, don'tcha think?"

Claus chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I guess."

Lucas gasped behind them at the sight of Lighter's truck, complete with the company logo on the side. "Woah, you d-dad has an automobile?" he asked, though it was a bit rhetorical.

Fuel chuckled. "Yeah. What of it?"

Lucas blinked. "Well, i-it's just that, we always s-see you walking everywhere y-you go. Why don't you u-use it?"

The brunette laughed. "For starters, I don't know how to drive. And plus, dad'd have my head if I drove it, 'cause he doesn't trust me that much. I mean, if I total it or something, he's screwed." He paused. "It's also great exercise to walk, anyway!"

"Like you need it," Claus rolled his eyes, causing Fuel to snicker some more.

They watched as Lighter and Flint walked around the perimeter of the fencing, identifying all the pieces that appeared to be in less-than-stellar shape. Claus could see the spot where the sheep had allegedly broken out; a couple of the boards lay broken beside the gap. His father had penned the sheep off in a lightly smaller space with an extra length of fencing he'd luckily had on hand, to prevent another escapade.

"Well," Lighter said as they came back around, rubbing his beard in thought. "There isn't too much wrong with it, at least right now. Only a dozen or so need any reinforcement." He turned to his son now, who stood by anxiously. "Fuel, grab some tools and head the other way, start from there. You'll see the ones that need fixing."

Fuel nodded. "Yessir!" he exclaimed before hopping into the back of the truck and rummaging around for said tools. Lighter took a few pieces of spare wood along with his tool belt and walked along the closer way. Fuel handed off his wood to Claus and climbed back out of the bed with hammer and nails in hand. Pocketing the nails, the three boys walked around to the other side of the house, following Lighter's brazen instructions.

Redhead and blonde alike watched in awe as Fuel went about repairing the boards, staring at each until he apparently spotted one that needed work. To the untrained eye, they all looked the same. As Fuel hammered a supportive piece of wood into the ground directly beside the fencing and onto the board he currently focused on, Lucas asked. "How can you t-tell the difference between the g-good and bad boards?"

He chuckled. "You just gotta look at it the right way. The ground next to this board had some space in it, making it less sturdy and easier to push around. There're also some darker patches, like the wood's getting soft, so this'll help keep it up for a while yet." He finished hammering and stood back up, tempted to laugh again at their incredulous faces. "I grew up doing this kinda thing, so it's pretty obvious."

"You make it sound so easy," Lucas muttered, observing the brunette's handiwork with an impressed stare.

"Right? You're definitely going to be a great carpenter, just like your old man." Claus scratched his head. "Hell, you already are!"

Fuel waved their comments off, scanning the boards once again. "Oh, c'mon guys, this is all basic," he said rather modestly. "You're making it sound like I just built a house or something."

"Bet you could if you tried."

"Y-yeah!"

Fuel rolled his eyes.

They eventually met up with the two fathers at more or less the midway point. Lighter double-checked Fuel's work just in case, but found no immediate problems, giving his son a quick pat on the head. The shorter brunette beamed, happy that his dad had given him even the slightest of praise.

"So," Flint spoke to the only other man present as he loaded the tools and spare pieces of wood back into the truck, "how much is it going to be?"

Lighter waved him off. "Not a single DP. It's on the house this time. Only a few board replacements and tune-ups, not enough for me to charge you for."

Flint frowned. "As much as I appreciate that, how do you expect to make any profit if it's always just 'on the house'?"

Fuel laughed, as the cowboy hatted man had a valid point; Lighter did a lot of free things for family friends. Lighter grunted. "I've got plenty of other work to do and people to take money from, I assure you."

Flint smiled a very small, uncommon smile. "If you say so."

Lighter unlocked the vehicle. "And I do, so there."

Quick goodbyes were exchanged and small waves were given before the father and son duo drove off, back toward the town. Flint watched the automobile turn behind the row of trees cutting off his view before sauntering back into the house. Lucas and Claus, having little else to do, followed him.

Once back inside, they took off their shoes next to the front door, watching with faint amusement as Flint took his brown hat off to reveal a small shining spot on the top of the back of his head. Claus' father wasn't even that old—thirty-seven—but he was still going bald. It must have sucked.

Hinawa greeted them all with a bright smile. "Welcome back, my three favorite men!" she giggled at them. "How did it go?"

"There wasn't much for them to fix, really," Claus informed her, sitting on the floor next to the couch, directly in front of the living room's coffee table.

"Hmm, really? That's good news," she noted happily. "How much was it?"

Flint flopped down on the couch and looked at her with unamused eyes. "Guess," he told her.

She sighed with another smile. "Nothing?" she assumed, shaking her head when Flint nodded at her. "Typical Lighter."

"You'd think that guy would be outta business right now..." Claus rested his head on the back of the sofa as he trailed off, only to have it snap back up when Lucas dropped a box onto the table with a _SMUNK_. The box containing the board and pieces to the checkers game, of course. The redhead sighed at Lucas' fiercely competitive expression. "How many times must I beat you before you give up? I am the master of checkers."

Lucas shook a fist at his sudden adversary. "That may b-be, but I know I can beat you sssooner or later! I just have t-to practice some more!" He quickly opened the box and unfolded the board, separating the colored pieces. "Get ready to lose, C-Claus!"

_-asdfjkl;-_

They both lay in the bed like they normally did every night, on their own sides and fairly close together. As soon as Claus turned the light off, they were upon him, the arms that he'd accepted as a natural part of the bedtime routine. He was pulled close to the other, so their bodies touched and their arms could wrap fully around one another; quite an intimate position.

They laid like that for a while in the calm, dark silence, like they normally did, until Lucas couldn't help but voice a question that had been on his mind the whole day. "Claus, was l-last night a dream?"

Claus looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Lucas seemed a bit embarrassed by the nervous way he adjusted the redhead's hair. "W-well, I mean, y'know...the k-k-kiss."

Claus' eyes widened at that. He had kind of forgotten about that during the course of the day, but now that Lucas brought it up, the feeling came flooding back to him. He...he _had_ enjoyed it, but it was a kiss. A kiss from _anyone_ would be enjoyable. Right? "...no, that wasn't a dream."

Lucas seemed to accept this rather well, his hand going back to running deeply through his thick red locks. He stayed quiet for a minute, as if contemplating his next move with care. Claus couldn't tell if he wanted Lucas to say it or not. "In that case...would y-you mind if...that is to sssay, we, uh...we did it a-again?"

Again with the feeling in his stomach he couldn't identify. Shame, disgust, pity...could've been any of them. However, the feeling wasn't bad. He rather..._liked_ it. "...if you want to." Yes. That was it. He'd justify it as letting Lucas have his way, because there was no way that he actually, you know, _liked_ Lucas. That would be ridiculous.

Even through the darkness, Claus could see the blonde's faint smile as he began to close distance. Claus closed his eyes, waiting patiently, knowing it would come. He felt kind of jittery, but he wasn't excited. No way. Not for this.

When their lips met, it was like an electrical shock. Claus was again baffled at how soft and gentle it was, comfy and completely natural-feeling. Were all guy's lips as soft as Lucas'? Were his that soft too? It wasn't what he'd expected, not really.

Lucas pulled away all too soon, and Claus found himself nearly whining at him in disapproval. Him, whining. Dear God, what was happening here? He waited for a few seconds before asking the redhead a simple question. "Again?"

Claus could only nod, and this time the lips were upon him again almost instantly, only a tad more forceful in how much he pushed on Claus, desperate to feel more.

Even more surprisingly, the shorter boy found himself kissing back for the first time, lips wiggling and everything, like they had a mind of their own. His hands wandered their was up from Lucas' back to his hair, which to his surprise was silky and soft, not coarse and super thick like he'd imagined.

Lucas let a small sound of approval loose from his throat, his hand finding itself cradling the side of Claus' head, thumb stroking his chin gently. Christ, that felt nice. He had to stifle a guttural noise of his own as they continued, not wanting to show that he enjoyed this. Though, his actions pretty much spoke for themselves.

They parted once more, each breathing rather heavily and staring at each other with different expressions, Claus' incredulous and Lucas' half-lidded with desire. The redhead half-expected Lucas to go at it again (and he didn't too much mind that idea), but the blonde merely smiled and pulled him into another one of his hugs, patting his head playfully.

"Thank you," he breathed, causing Claus to shiver slightly.

_No, thank you._ Claus still wasn't sure about any of this. It would be frowned upon by most, and even more so by his parents, who knew that Lucas had been a dog in the near past, not to mention he didn't even know for sure if the feelings here were mutual. But there was no denying that he found this quite nice. For now, it was a simple game of making each other feel good. At least, to him. "Yeah, anytime."

It wasn't too long before the duo drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: So Claus is kind of in denial right now. Tsk tsk. C'mon Claus, you know that it's gotta be DESTINY! -shot- And I made up my own sound effect, combination of SLAM and CLUNK. S**__**M**__**UNK. **__**I'm buying time here. The next chapter should be a bit more...interesting.**__****_

So tell me, guys, what did you think? Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. They encourage me to write more of this silliness!

For now, adieu~ C:


	11. Losing Him

_**WARNING: There's a rather intense boy-on-boy bed scene near the end. Not going to spoil it here, but...PG-13, kiddos.**_

DISCLAIMER: The great Shigesato Itoi along with Nintendo own this wonderful series of Mother/EarthBound. I own none of it.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

"So you just p-pour it into the bowl and add some m-milk?"

Lucas and Claus stood in the kitchen, Claus trying his best to demonstrate how one went about preparing cereal. He had his own bowl fixed, and now encouraged Lucas to do the same. "Yup. It's real simple."

Lucas hmm'd and did as he was told, cereal and milk cascading into his bowl with a pitter patter sound. Claus handed him a spoon, and the blonde took a hesitant bite into his mouth. After a few chews his eyes lit up. "Mmwoah, this shtuff's g-good!" he exclaimed with his mouth still half-full.

Claus chuckled at him. "Yeah, it is," he agreed as they took their bowls to the table and sat down. "Also very easy to make."

"I'll sssay," Lucas mused, taking another bite of the damp cinnamon squares. "Takes like two s-seconds!"

Both boys crunched away, unused to being alone in the house. Flint was outside, doing stuff, and Hinawa had gone off to town that morning for something or another. They only ate cereal as a last resort, when Claus' mother was unavailable to cook actual food.

"It's very...cinnamony."

"Fine b-by me, I love cinnamon."

"Really? I don't care for it much."

"Then why'd you p-pour a whole bowl of i-it?"

"It's the only kind of cereal we have left."

"Oh...true."

Lucas had just about finished his bowl when the front door opened and in stepped Hinawa, hair slightly mussed from how windy it was outside. She smiled at them, closing the door and slipping her shoes off. "Oh, good morning boys," she chirped, in a good mood. She must have just delivered one of her dresses, then.

"Good morning, H-Hinawa," Lucas replied, taking his bowl to the sink and waiting for Claus to down his leftover milk.

"Hey mom," Claus' reply was a bit less formal.

The woman plopped herself down in her usual spot on the love seat, sighing a breath of relief. "I thought I was never going to finish that dress off," she giggled, relaxing into her chair for a well-deserved break. Having closed her eyes, she opened one to gaze at her son. "Boys, I have a favor to ask you."

Both males turned to face her. "Sure, anything," Claus said, draining his bowl and setting it down once more, giving her his undivided attention.

She gave him a confusing look, a I-can-tell-that-you're-going-to-be-reluctant-to-do-this kind of expression. "I'd like you two to babysit Alle."

This meant nothing to Lucas, but Claus groaned. "Oh God, mom, why don't you just ask me to knock on her front door!" he hung his head, standing up to hand his now-empty bowl off to the blonde.

Hinawa sighed again. "I know, I know, but...Nan sounded desperate when she asked me if I would. Please, Claus. She offered to pay you, even."

"You can't pay me enough to walk into _her_ territory," he muttered, crossing his arms with eyes cast sideways.

Lucas' eyes darted from redhead to brunette and back, understanding none of what was going on as he scrubbed the dishes.

"...but I guess I will," Claus relented, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If Lucas is with me, she can't possibly molest me, right?"

Hinawa frowned at her son. "You're being entirely too melodramatic, Claus. Angie is nowhere near that bad."

"You've never been stuck in a room alone with her," he said darkly.

Ah. It clicked in Lucas' mind now. "Angie?" he spoke the name, deciding he didn't much like it. "B-but I thought we were baby sitting the A-Alle person? Are they s-sisters?"

Hinawa shook her head. "No, Caroline and Angie live next to Nan and Alle."

"I see."

"You wont let her kidnap me, right, Lucas?" Claus elbowed him, a tad playfully.

Lucas gave him a shocked look. "O-of course not! Do you really have t-to ask?"

Hinawa giggled. "Well, she needs you boys by eight thirty."

"What time is it now?"

Lucas glanced at the oven, an action which completely evaded Claus' mind. "Five 'till eight," he said as he dried off the dishes.

"We've got some time, then," Claus stroked his chin, smiling mischievously at his blonde friend. "Wanna play checkers, Lucas?"

The taller boy's face suddenly turned sour. They had played a total of eleven games last night, and he hadn't won a _single one_ of them. He turned to give Claus a dirty look. "I'll p-pass."

"Jenga?"

"Even worse."

"Okay, chess."

"...fine." Lucas closed the cabinet and turned to face his now-enemy. He was fairly good at chess, so it was anybody's game.

"Good. Let's go!"

_-asdfjkl;-_

"If you need me at all, don't hesitate to call my cell phone, okay? The number's on the fridge."

Nan ran all around the house, making sure she had everything she needed. She seemed awfully dressed up; Claus guessed she might be meeting up with someone for a formal dinner of sorts. He was just glad that Angie happened to be out right now, and nowhere near him. The blonde woman finally settled down, standing beside them near the door and allowing her albino-haired daughter to hug her goodbye.

"We understand, Mrs. Nan," Claus assured her confidently as she stood up straight once again. Lucas nodded along with him in agreement. "She's in good hands."

Nan smiled at them both, brushing a lock of short blonde hair out or her eyes. "I know, I know. Thank you both again." She turned to her daughter one last time. "You be good for Claus and his friend, sweetheart."

Alle grinned up at her. "Of course, mama! We'll play house together!" she exclaimed proudly, grabbing both boys' hands. Lucas chuckled at her; he was a sucker for children, they were so amusing to him.

"Indeed. Good luck, boys!" her blonde mother bade them all goodbye before leaving the house, Claus taking care to lock he door behind her.

Alle took the liberty of dragging the duo up the stairs to her room, a pink-themed girly little space full of things little girls tended to like: little pony figures, a couple of dolls, a play kitchen, a rocking horse, and a small, fluff pink bed in the corner, amongst other things. She made them sit on her bed while she brought up a chair from the little table on the other side of the room. She sat across from them and stared up at them with round, curious hazel eyes. "So what's your name, mister?" she asked, obviously addressing the blonde.

"I'm L-Lucas," he answered, smiling down at her.

"Oh." She paused before asking him more questions. "Are you Claus' older brother?"

Claus winced at the 'older' in her inquiry. Just because he was taller did not mean he was automatically older. Curse children's logic. Lucas, on the other hand, laughed and explained. "No, I'm just his f-family's tenant for the time b-being."

"Oh. What's a tenant?"

"It means his p-parents let me live in his h-house in exchange for m-me doing chores for th-them."

"Oh. So where are your mom and dad?"

"They're, u-um...they're living i-in New Pork City."

"Why aren't you with them?"

"I, uh, th-thought living out here would be a, er, n-nice change of pace."

"...oh. Why do you talk funny like that?"

"I can't h-help it. Something in my b-brain isn't working right."

Alle stayed quiet for a minute. "Oh." Then she smiled once again. "I think it's cute!"

Lucas grinned at her. "Thank you, Alle."

"Mhmm!" She dipped her head. "So do you guys wanna play house?"

Claus stretched his arms. "Sure."

Alle beamed at him. "Okay, cool! I'll be the mommy, Claus can be the daddy..." she trailed off, looking at Lucas intently. "...and Lucas can be the doggy!"

Claus wanted nothing more than to laugh at how ironic the situation was. Lucas was also tempted to chuckle, and that left Alle wondering what was so funny. Nevertheless, she reasserted herself by barking orders. "Husband, I think you need to give the doggy a bath!"

Claus jumped off the bed and smiled. "I do believe you're right, wife. This is one dirty dog!"

Lucas dropped to his hands and knees. "Bark bark, rrrruff!" he made the dog noises quite well, actually, shaking his butt slightly as if his imaginary tail was wagging. This made Alle laugh.

And so they played. Once Claus had finished giving Lucas a bath that consisted of imaginary soap and intense scrubbing, they watched as Alle made them food using her play kitchen; Claus got some plastic lettuce dubbed salad and Lucas a play can of pineapple Alle called dog food. After they ate all their food, the white-haired little girl decided to change Lucas from a dog to a pony and jumped onto his back, demanding him to take her to the princess' castle. She rode Lucas around the room for a good fifteen minutes before the blonde collapsed on the floor, Claus having to pull him up. She then decided to play Truth or Dare, which was only reluctantly agreed to, but was harmless in the way that Alle's truths, being a mere seven-year-old and all, were made up of questions like "what's your favorite color," and the dares were usually things like "juggle three hamburger patties," or "stand on one leg for ten seconds."

Eventually she tired of this, also. "Okay, I'm bored," she said bluntly, turning to face away from the duo that again sat on her fluffy pink bed. "Now let's have a tea party!"

Both boys followed her back to the little table in the corner of the room, surrounded by stuffed animals sitting in chairs with tea cups in front of them all. She sat them down beside each other and grabbed the little pink teapot from its place in the middle. "I'll be right back!" she called behind her as she teetered back down the stairs cutely.

"She's adorable," Lucas chuckled, watching her ponytail sway back and forth as she descended.

"Yeah, she is," Claus agreed, his smile fading into a frown. "It's too bad that her ponytail reminds me a little too much of Angie."

There was a momentary silence. "Claus."

The redhead turned toward Lucas. "Wha—"

He was cut off by Lucas' mouth on his own, pressing together just enough to ensure he felt it. It lasted for all of about half a second, yet it still managed to halt most thought processes in Claus' brain for a moment. Lucas pulled away quickly, face red and mumbling like an idiot. "S-so-sorry."

Claus blinked a couple of times. "What was that for?"

Lucas fidgeted a little bit. "Well, y-you looked sort o-of like you...n-needed it," he justified, still not looking at him.

Claus raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask. "...I see. Well, don't do it again. What if Alle sees?"

The blond nodded fervently. "Yeah, I k-know. Stupid m-move."

The shorter boy wanted to correct him and say that it was just a poorly thought out move, but he didn't quite get the chance, as Alle was suddenly back with liquid audibly sloshing around in her pot. She giggled happily. "And here's our tea!"

She poured it into all six cups, and Claus noted that it was just water she was pretending to be tea. Once she was finished, she took the liberty of introducing them to her stuffed animals. "This one is Ana," she said pointing to the brown bear, "he's Loid," she pointed to the duck, "and this is Dumblesnape!" she finished by pointing to the drago plush she had seated across from them.

Lucas had a hard time stifling his laughter, but Claus didn't even bother, tilting his head back and laughing harder than Lucas had ever heard him do so. It was nice, genuine and almost rhythmic. "Well, h-hello, Dumblesnape," Claus eventually managed to greet their funnily named companion. Alle puffed her cheeks.

"Don't laugh at Dumblesnape!" she scolded him, taking the stuffed drago's cup and letting him have a sip. "He'll rip your head off if you make him angry!"

Claus suddenly composed himself, clearing his throat and putting on a serious face. "Ahem. Yes, you're quite right, miss Alle. Do forgive me for my sudden outburst, mister Dumblesnape. That was dreadfully rude of me," he spoke with a decidedly foreign accent. "Now, would it be peachy if I could get a few cubes of sugar for this tea o' mine?"

Alle was smart enough to catch his humor and copy his accent, playing along quite well with his act. "Of course you can, mister Claus. Lord Dumblesnape accepts your apology." She turned to Lucas. "What about you, sir? Any sugar cubes today?"

Lucas got in on the accent too, though his staggered speech took away from it slightly. "Why y-yes, madam Alle, I b-believe I'll take a couple sugar c-cubes myself straightaway. Thank you, d-dear."

And so they drank their 'tea' and had their fun, not dropping the accent until they moved on to other activities. They played together for hours, doing things like putting together a one hundred sixty-three piece puzzle, playing dress up (more like Alle dressing up in various dresses and the two boys complimenting her on them), messing around with her dolls, and playing simple hand games like patty cake. Neither would have admitted it, but they found it to be entertaining enough, possibly fun, even, and that they were a tad disappointed when Nan returned home.  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

They broke apart once more, each panting from the rush of adrenaline that could be felt in their veins. They stared at one another differently tonight, one's eyes bold and the other's rather shocked at the first's sudden outwardness.

Lucas didn't ask permission to attack his lips again, having assumed he was more than welcome. It was rough, rougher than the taller boy had ever been with him, and Claus had no idea why this felt better than the gentle and tenderness that he was used to. Hands ghosted down the redhead's back, suddenly diving up under his shirt and trailing back up. His touches were _burning_ him, burning him in a terribly good kind of way, sending shivers up his spine and causing him to gasp into the kiss.

Lucas seized his chance, pushing his tongue into Claus' mouth before the other boy knew what hit him. It felt really weird, to have someone else's tongue in your mouth, but amazing, as the shorter boy soon discovered. He had no idea how to go about it as the invading muscle roamed around his mouth, rubbing against his inner cheeks and the roof of his mouth, making Claus shake and grip him tighter, mustering all his self-control to keep from moaning or some other needy sound that would alert someone of their actions. People were trying to sleep below them, after all.

Then their tongues collided, and Claus didn't know what to do as Lucas won the battle of dominance without even trying. His mind was overloaded right now, trying desperately to figure out just what was happening here and why he enjoyed it so much. The hands that stroked his back now came forward, to his stomach and drifting right across his belly button, eliciting another sharp gasp from the redhead. This only encouraged Lucas, who slid his hands upward more and more until one of them caught a nipple. The touch sent Claus flinching and digging his nails into Lucas' back, scared and yet wanting more, _so much more_ at the same time. As if that wasn't enough, the taller of the two went and started to rub it between his fingers, sending jolts throughout his body that made him want to tear his hair out and get closer, as close as was physically possible. It was too much, all the sensations he was feeling at the same time, he felt nauseous, he felt too hot, his pants were too tight, he needed more, more, _more—_

And suddenly, he was on the other side or the bed entirely, as far away from Lucas as possible, breathing hard and a wide-eyed, horrified expression on his red face. Lucas' eyes were glazed over with lust, but when he registered the look in the shorter boy's expression, he knew that he'd screwed up.

"L-Lucas," Claus breathed, a hand on his chest. No. This had gone too far. They needed to stop. "I can't, not th-that, I can't. It's...it's too much. It's not good. It's bad. Really bad." And suddenly he was on a roll, every worry and excuse flooding out of his mouth. "We're both guys, Lucas. It's wrong. What would mom say? Dad would have a heart attack. And, you're...you're not...h-human. Not that we know. You could be half dog still. That's even worse, you know. And what if...what if you turned into a dog again? What would we do then? And I don't know if I..." he paused here, trying to word his sentence wisely. "...feel the same way. I just...I'm confused and I'm scared, man. I don't know."

Lucas looked like this was something he'd been bracing himself to hear. He frowned and looked down. "I k-know. And I've done n-nothing but pressure y-you into it. I'm s-sorry."

Claus managed to smile a little. "If it's any consolation, you're a good kisser."

Lucas chuckled once. "Well, thank y-you," he said, sliding off the bed entirely and standing up. He picked up his pillow and walked over to the closet, opening it and rummaging around until he found what he was looking for: a spare blanket. When Claus realized what exactly he was doing, he suddenly felt like a huge jerk.

"Lucas," he spoke again, "that doesn't mean you have to leave."

The tall blonde turned to look at him, his expression solemn. "But it d-does," he argued lightly, tucking the pillow under his arm. "It's obvious that y-you need a little time to f-figure things out. I feel l-like I forced you into this, so it's the l-least I could d-do. And it's your r-room, so of course it's m-me who has to leave." He paused for a moment. "I'm confused, too, you k-know. You think I d-don't understand the circumstances o-of all this? I do. I'm terrified e-every time I go to sleep, because f-for all I know the next morning I'll b-be a dog again, and where does th-that leave me? But I accepted that c-confusion the first time we kissed. I thought y-you might have, too, but it's a-apparent that you didn't. I won't do anything y-you don't want."

As the taller boy approached the stairs, Claus could only watch with self-reprimanding eyes. He knew that what he'd said must've hurt Lucas to some extent, but he was still willing to put Claus first. How chivalrous. The blonde turned around once more with a small smile on his face. "Good night, C-Claus."

It was eerily quiet in the room once Lucas had left, presumably to sleep on the couch. The soft breathing he'd gotten used to hearing was now gone, replaced by a silence that gnawed at his conscious. As he laid there, willing himself sleep that wouldn't come, he felt cold. The arms that should have been wrapped around him were missing. He had a feeling he would regret what he'd said.

That was the first time in a long time he had trouble falling asleep.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Damn it, Claus, why can't you just accept the fact that you're a homo already? -shot- So, yep. I **__**had fun writing this chapter. I like Alle's character! xD**_

And so the inevitable speed bump of the road to love is hit. The next couple of chapters will be a little somber, I guess. :C But in happier news, this story just got one thousand hits! Awesome! Thanks to all who've been reading, and here's to another one thousand! xD

So I'm projecting a further nine or so chapters until this fic is truly complete. Cool, right? ... Either way, if you'd be so kind as to leave a review telling me what you liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc., it would be super-appreciated!

Hopefully be seeing you in the next chapter! C:


	12. Not the Same

_**A/N: So, I literally had people telling me to hurry the hell up with this chapter. xD Sorry for the wait, but I got overwhelmed by a summer project that I just found out about a week ago (still not done with it, I don't know why I'm writing this;;;) and other fun stuff. I won't bore you with stories about me, though. Enjoy the chapter!**_

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: I don't own this at all, in any way, shape, or form.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r**—

He awoke to the sound of rain pitter pattering on the window. Wiping his eyes sleepily, Claus shifted a bit in place, careful not to wake his...

Oh. Right. Lucas wasn't there.

That would explain why he felt just the slightest bit chilly. Subconsciously missing those thin arms that would usually have been encompassing him, he sat up, still only half-awake and rubbing his face with his hands a few times. Last night was more of a blur than anything, but he recalled single-handedly turning a moment of heated passion into an awkward and tense silence. But it was called for. It was just a game, right? A game that had simply gone too far. One had to know when to call it quits. Homosexuality (and maybe even _bestiality_ in this case) was a delicate thing, something frowned upon by the masses, and Claus simply wasn't sure of it all.

He sighed. Stuff like this was complicated, more so than he'd thought at first. He slid out of bed and prepared to get himself ready for the no-doubt awkward day to come.

When he touched down on the first floor, the first thing he looked for was his blonde companion, momentarily ignoring the tantalizing smell of chorizo and eggs drifting past his nostrils. He spotted him sitting at the already-set table, facing away from him and sitting in his usual spot. He was already dressed for the day, so Claus assumed he'd been upstairs at one point that morning, while he'd been sleeping. Upon hearing his approaching footsteps, both Lucas and his mother, who stood at the stove a little ways away in the kitchen, gave him sideways glances.

"Good morning, sweetie," Hinawa said softly, returning her attention to her cooking. "Did you sleep well?"

Claus only hesitated a split second before taking his own spot beside Lucas, carefully regulating his distance. "Yeah, slept fine."

"Good." The room was silent again after that, Lucas idly playing with his fork and Claus keeping watch of his actions through his peripheral vision. The woman must have interpreted this in some fashion, because she next asked a question that caught Claus completely off guard. "So why is it that Lucas was sleeping down here this morning?"

Claus froze, wide green eyes darting to his mother's back, completely terrified that she'd somehow figured out what was going on between the two. _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod she found out but how ohdear_Jesus_ now I'm in for it._

Lucas, however, seemed unfazed. "Oh, I-I've been kicking Claus in m-my sleep for the last few d-days for some reason, ssso I decided to do him a f-favor and sleep down h-here, to spare him some b-bruises," he replied nonchalantly, now fiddling with his napkin.

Claus looked at him now, eyebrow raised at the admittedly feeble excuse, but Hinawa seemed to buy it well enough. "Is that so? That was awfully nice of you," she gushed, giggling a bit.

Lucas met his eyes with a smile, slightly distracting the redhead. But it also reminded him that an apology was definitely in order. He decided to mouth it out, seeing as how his mother was a mere few meters away. _Lucas, I'm so—_

The blonde closed his eyes and shook his head, silencing him. _No apology needed_, he mouthed back, blue eyes opening once more. _I understand._

But as hard as Lucas tried to convince him otherwise, Claus could still see the almost entirely masked disappointment and hurt in his eyes when they opened back up, and it made him feel like a real asshole inside. The taller boy had been seriously infatuated with him. But in truth, Lucas deserved better.

Before he could attempt to wordlessly apologize again, Hinawa carried a heaping pan of scrambled eggs and chorizo to the table, serving it up with a smile. "Breakfast is served!" she chirped, cutting through the controlled silence between the two boys. Neither objected to this, instead smiling and offering their thanks and compliments on how yummy it looked and smelled.

Soon all three were stuffed to the brim with the delicious concoction, so they retired to the living room. While Hinawa sat down to start her next sewing project, Lucas and Claus sat adjacent to one another, each basking in the food coma each was subjected to. When that ten-minute period passed, Lucas picked up the book he'd been reading—Frankenstein—and began to read it. Claus merely observed him, content with just staring at him and observing how his eyes flicked back and forth absorbing information, how he stuck just a tiny bit of his tongue out to wet his finger as he turned the page, the same tongue that'd been in his own mouth the prior night (why this thought bowled all others away, he didn't know), and even how he idly wagged his foot while he read, having a compulsory need to do so.

It was obvious that this was bothering the blonde, though, from how he kept glancing over at Claus and shifting so that he wouldn't be able to notice his gaze anymore, so the redhead tore his eyes away and looked up at the ceiling, not having much else to do.

Thankfully, though, Lucas didn't just decide to ignore him the entire day. After about an hour, when Flint came back into the house, his morning work done, the taller boy agreed to a game of chess, so they sat down at the kitchen table to play. It was a pretty close match; Lucas only just barely won after Claus stupidly moved his only defense, a rook, away from the king and forcing himself into checkmate. Lucas didn't leave him alone about it for a good hour or so, laughing at the redhead's haughty replies.

Not too long after that, lunch was had. Lucas didn't seem at all out of the ordinary, conversing with Hinawa and Flint as usual, and of course joking around with Claus. It was nice, how well he handled it all. Maybe he wasn't as upset as Claus had previously thought. Perhaps it really was just an elongated game of Nervous.

He should've been happy, having finally set Lucas straight and all, but he didn't know why he couldn't make his mind think about something else. There was no need to linger on it.

Most of the afternoon was spent playing a game of Monopoly that lasted almost three hours. The tokens were rather fitting; Flint used the wheelbarrow, Claus handled the car, Hinawa chose the thimble and Lucas, of course, was represented by the dog. Unsurprisingly, Hinawa was out first, so she sewed as she continued to watch the three males duke it out on the board. Lucas was next, though he opted to hang on to his token and fiddle with it whilst father and son faced off. In the end, Flint was the victor, upgrading to hotels on every single property he owned and forcing the redhead into bankruptcy. Everyone agreed that that was enough Monopoly for a long time to come.

Then Claus dozed a bit on the sofa, legs strewn across Lucas' lap as the latter continued to read his book. It was a quiet evening. The whole family, Lucas included, was content. But when Claus awoke once more, he could feel it. Something, though he wasn't entirely sure what, was awry. Something was not the same as it had been the days before. But, it was probably just him.

When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, Hinawa deemed it time to start on dinner, which was a rather new food called 'tacos'. She had obtained the recipe from a friend of hers, and decided she would try it out as a nice change from her usual dishes.

As the brunette woman fiddled with the soft tortillas, getting a feel for how she'd go about preparing them, Lucas shifted out from under Claus' legs and stretched a bit before ascending the stairs. Claus absently wondered where he was off to, but waved the thought off. He didn't need to know where the blonde was twenty-four/seven. Besides, the question was all but answered when the sound of running water could be heard through the walls faintly, signaling a shower.

He was back downstairs again just in time, hair damp and sleepwear on, sitting down at the table in front of his already-made plate. His expression was priceless as he gazed at the foreign food with a raised eyebrow. "Wh-what is this?" he couldn't help but ask, eyeing the meat that threatened to fall out the other end of the stuffed tortilla.

Hinawa, her work done, sat down with a giggle. "It's called a taco," she informed him, picking her own up and demonstrating to the three males how to handle it. "It's not a native Tazmily food; a friend of mine insists that they're excellent, though. It's my first time making them, so I apologize in advance if it isn't very good."

Lucas was so eager to try it that he almost omitted the customary "Thanks for the food," before he took a huge bite off the end. The others followed his lead, and everyone made a sound of approval, making Hinawa's cooking skill known to the world.

"Delicious," Flint managed to say, staring at the food item in his hands incredulously.

"It's good...no, great!" Claus hastily took another bite, not usually one to savor food.

But of course the real critique came from Lucas. "W-wow! It's awesome, the way the s-spice of the meat and the neutral t-tortilla flavors clash like that, a-and the cheese just makes it!" He took another, smaller bite. "It's exotic and f-fresh!"

The blonde flushed when everyone else laughed at such a serious comment over something as trivial as food, not understanding what exactly the punchline had been.

After dinner, the four were content to sit in the living room for a short while more, Flint reading his own book and Hinawa repairing one of her own dresses. Lucas had managed to convince Claus to draw a picture of him, so the blonde sat in a pose while the shorter boy sketched away on a piece of paper, glancing back up every once in a while. About thirty minutes later, Lucas laughed at the silly caricature the redhead had crafted, pleased with how it had turned out. Claus hadn't minded doing it; it gave him an excuse to stare at the taller of the two.

When most everyone's eyes began to droop, it was unanimously decided that bedtime was near. As the goodnights were said, Claus slipped upstairs to take a shower of his own, as was the norm. Ten minutes later, he was fresh and clean, albeit wet, and decked out comfily in his night clothes. He noticed a pillow missing from his bed, and the closet door was left open, denoting someone (Lucas) had taken things to sleep with. So he was serious about this whole thing.

Claus sat down on his side of the bed, blankly staring toward the stairwell. It was weird, not having someone else to sleep next to after so long of doing it...even though it'd only been three or four weeks, tops, it felt foreign to him. He...missed it already.

The boy crawled into the covers, spreading himself out and trying to enjoy all the space he now had. Once he found the right position, he willed himself to sleep, breathing softly and ignoring the silence.

But he couldn't get himself to clear his mind, and he kept thinking about Lucas. Claus remembered the first day he'd discovered Lucas, outside in the bushes. He recollected how shocking it had been when he'd woken up to a naked boy in his bed. How conflicted he'd felt the first time the blonde had kissed him. Memories came flooding back to the contemplative boy. His thoughts were invaded by a thousand images of a dog and a boy, who coincidentally were one and the same. But all he could focus on was the boy, and all his pros: a good person, funny, caring, helpful, curious, good-looking, pleasant to be around. As he rolled onto his side, with the slightest of smiles on his face, he noticed that his pants seemed a bit tighter than usual—

And then the redhead shot upright with a strangled sort of gasp, eyes wide and expression a mix between startled and realization. His heart seemed to pound twice as fast at the thought of the taller boy he'd grown accustomed to. He couldn't get him out of his mind. He had an insatiable longing to be touched again, not by just anyone, but _his_ fingers. He wanted to be there for him, beside him, all the time.

_So this is what love feels like?_

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Woo! We're getting somewhere, eh? xD Apologies for the shortness. **__**Looks so short, only four pages! That's because of the lack of a lot of dialouge...and it's just short. **__**I'd try to flesh it out a bit, but I feel like if I did, I'd end up screwing it all up... My excuse for the lateness of this chapter is accredited to a summer project I had to rush on and the sudden random obsession over Super Smash Bros 4 (Claus for Sm4sh, anyone? :D). Deeply sorry.**_

This'll be the last chapter before school starts. Two more days left...I don't wanna go back! Having no homework is so nice! u_u; And as such, updates past the first week will probably take much longer than they have during the summer. Bear with me, guys! I won't abandon this story (coughprotectorcough)!

Enough of me rambling, already! Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can _**improve on, etc. etc.**_

I'll be back with another chapter as soon as I can! C:


	13. Fuel's Advice

_**You: This chapter needs moar Lucas. :C**_

Me: I know, I know! Please dun hurt me... OTL

DISCLAIMER: I have no intention of owning this. Then what would I write fanfiction about?

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

It was too much.

The way his hips ever-so-slightly swayed as he walked, the way he smiled at him with restrained emotion, the way he giggled and spoke with that adorable speech impediment of his, the way that yellow-and-red striped shirt sometimes rode up and exposed just a sliver of pale skin, the way he snuck little looks at him when he thought Claus wasn't looking, the way he was completely oblivious to his own charm, how soft his skin looked, how his lips mocked him, taunted him every time they moved, how he had to summon forth every fiber of his being to keep from ogling him after the blonde's nightly shower. It was killing him inside.

He had to do _something_. But what?

_So yeah, I was being a prick. Wanna make out? _Somehow, that didn't seem entirely adequate. But what was he supposed to say? He'd never done anything like this before, with either gender. The redhead had never really been good with words _or_ feelings, so this was like a double negative. And there wasn't anyone he could talk to about it; Hinawa would faint, Flint would have a heart attack, and Fuel would never let him hear the end of it. It made him want to tear his hair out. Why couldn't one of them be a female? It would make it all so much easier.

But that wasn't the case. Besides, what other people think really doesn't matter all that much. That's what he tells himself, anyway.

And just when the redhead works up enough courage to confront Lucas about his feelings, someone or something always steals them away, whether it's Hinawa calling them down for a meal or Flint asking one of them to go on an errand or even the taller boy leaving for a shower just before Claus can make his move. It was infuriating. The days seemed to drone on, and he had become more jumpy and furtive than usual, constantly on the lookout for opportunities that seemed to always disappear the moment he went for them.

It had been almost a week, since he'd finally figured out that he kinda sorta _craved_ the other boy. Today looked like it was going to be one of those days, the days where everyone just lulled lazily around one another and enjoyed the calm. So Claus decided he would save himself the trouble.

It was maybe three o'clock in the afternoon. Claus pulled himself up from his spot on the sofa a bit groggily, standing up and shuffling towards the front door. Hinawa looked up at her son from the book she sifted through. She had noticed something in her son change (for worse or better, she didn't know), but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. "Claus? Where are you off to?" she asked him, watching as he slipped his already-socked feet into slightly worn blue Converse.

"Just going out to town. I'll be back before dinner," he replied, bending over to tighten his laces a bit.

Hinawa's gaze flickered from her son to his friend, who sat on the sofa opposite her. The blonde's blue eyes were on Claus' form for a moment before they went back to his own book, making no attempt to tag along on the redhead's little adventure. She decided that something was going on between the two, because that certainly wasn't normal. Usually, the duo was attached at the hip, doing any and all tasks together. But it really wasn't any of her business. She fought off the urge to sigh and shake her head. "Okay then. Be safe."

"Yeah, I will," he answered her as he straightened up and opened up the door swiftly, exiting and shutting it behind him. He breathed in the air deeply, savoring how fresh it was. If there was one thing he loved about living away from the center of the town, it was the outdoorsyness. He started toward the mass of buildings to the north with a spring in his step, determined to enjoy himself somehow. A walk to clear his head was just what Claus needed.

Upon entering the town boundaries, he noticed that there weren't very many people out and about today, which was a bit strange but not unwelcome. The boy strolled through town at a leisurely pace, finding an odd sense of peace surrounded by the buildings and people. It wasn't like the peace one felt while secluded out in the woods, no, but it felt nice as a change of pace all the same.

He made his way down to the square. There were even fewer people there, and scarcely any cars to speak of. Claus crossed the street easily and plopped himself down on one of the benches encircling the town's fountain. The sun's rays made the tiny chutes of water sparkle before they hit the water's surface in the basin below, and it mesmerized Claus for a few minutes. Sticking a hand into his left pocket, he discovered that he had a coin and wondered for a moment if he should make a wish or not. However, he decided against it, for fear that this wish would override his last. That one was more important, anyway.

Claus stood up once more, crossing the street again. He decided to walk around the perimeter of the square just because. All the shops around him were small, family-owned specialty shops, for things like blacksmithing and sewing and exotic animals and antiques. He'd been inside them all at least once, as he'd been a very inquisitive child. He could honestly say his favorite was the blacksmith, run by Bronson. The wide array of daggers and swords and shields and various other weapons he had was astonishingly impressive.

When he was almost done with his lap around the square, he passed by Caroline's Bakery, home of all pastry-based delicacies in the Tazmily area. Suddenly something sweet didn't sound too bad. However, he only had about 10 DP on him, and that wasn't even enough for half a cookie. He sighed, reprimanding and reminding himself to bring his wallet next time.

As if on cue, a familiar brunette opened the shop's door, holding a bag in his hands and yelling back thanks to the woman inside. Fuel came to a halt to rummage around in the bag for a minute, before noticing his redheaded friend standing not three feet away. He grinned at him. "Well, if it isn't Claus! How are you, man?"

Claus couldn't help but return the expression. "Oh, I'm doing fine. What about you?"

Fuel laughed. "Same here, same here. What brings you out to town?"

The (barely, mind you) shorter boy shrugged. "Needed some fresh air. You're on a food run, am I right?"

Fuel shook his head, winking. "Not at all! This is actually my free day. I was just rewarding myself with some blueberry muffins." He reached into the bag he carried and pulled one out, offering it to the ginger next to him. "Want one?"

Claus could smell the treat; _delicious_. He took it gratefully. "Sure. Thanks, man."

Neither having much else to do, they decided to do a little walking together, chatting amongst themselves about whatever came to mind. Fuel was going to start taking jobs on his own in a couple of weeks and Claus was probably going to go and visit his grandfather soon. Fuel managed to finish off the rest of his muffins right then and there, discarding the bag in a conveniently placed trash can with a content little burp. Claus laughed; when it came to sweet stuff, Fuel was a glutton.

The brunette dragged him into the general store, saying something about needing a specific supply they were running low on. Luckily they had just one box left; a small screw that looked rather useless to the redhead. Fuel insisted that it was great for adding thin layers of extra wood to an already-thin surface. The box of thirty cost him 230 DP, and he stuffed the package into his pocket as they left, whistling like a happy-go-lucky fool. Claus poked fun at his childish behavior.

They were surprised at just how much time had elapsed whilst they meandered about. The sun was already threatening to dip below the horizon, splaying the structures around them with tones of orange and bronze. Claus deemed it okay to sit down at a bench just to the right of the store, if only to rest his feet for a moment. Fuel joined him readily.

For a minute they just stared at all the passerby idly, out of things to say. Then, Fuel asked a question. "Say, Claus. How's Lucas? Usually he'd be with you when you go out." He paused. "Not that I'm complaining, but y'know."

Claus' attention was snapped back to him. "Oh, Lucas? He's, uh..." he trailed off, genuinely taken aback. Damn. He had actually managed to forget about Lucas, if only for a little while, in the midst of his and Fuel's little hang out session. "He's fine. Doing good."

"Oh. Good." Fuel paused again, like he was thinking. "So...what's going on between you two?"

Claus jumped a mile. "H-huh?" he stammered, looking at Fuel incredulously. _Surely he doesn't know. Surely._

Fuel smirked at him. "I knew it. Something is going on, isn't there? What happened, did you guys fight or something?"

Part of Claus wanted to deny all of it, but he knew that he'd already given it away with his stupid reactions. He sighed, looking away slightly. "...something like that."

Fuel suddenly stopped smiling. "Wait, what? Seriously?" His voice sounded like he envisioned a fist fight of some kind.

Claus shook his head. "Well, y'know. It wasn't a physical fight. Hell, it wasn't even a fight at all. I just..." he trailed off again, resting his chin in his palm. "I don't know."

Now Fuel looked at him intently. After a moment, he opened his mouth. "You love him, don't you?"

Claus went rigid. His wide eyes darted over to Fuel, trying to figure out if that had been a joke of some kind or not. He knew that there was no denying it now, because Fuel practically beamed at him, laughing and looking pleased with himself. "Ahah! I knew it!" he cried, a fist held in the air.

The redhead quickly shushed him, trying to ignore the eyes that now glanced at them curiously. "Shut up, man, not everyone needs to know," he hissed, elbowing him in the side. The grin never left the brunette's face, however. Claus sighed. "How...how did you know, anyway?"

Fuel winked. "From the look on your face. It was priceless, by the way."

Claus cast his eyes sideways again. "Shut up."

This empty threat merely made him laugh once more. "Seriously though, that's awesome. I've always had a feeling you two would hit it off...in more ways than one," he giggled at himself while Claus just facepalmed. "But," he suddenly became serious once more, "you seemed more than a little down. Why?" Then he gasped. "Oh, God. Does he not feel the same way?"

Claus shook his head. "No. It's more like he thinks _I_ don't like him like that." He paused, putting his face in his hands. "I'm an idiot, Fuel!" he nearly yelled at himself, though it was sufficiently muffled by his hands.

Fuel rolled his eyes. "Old news is old."

Claus elbowed him again. "You're not helping."

Fuel winced, still smiling. "Alright, alright. What did you do?"

"I kinda...pushed him away while...we were...k-kissing." Somehow talking about it was extremely awkward.

Fuel seemed taken aback by this. "Wait, what? You guys have already _kissed_?" A pause. "And you pushed him away? Hypocritical, much?"

Claus looked up again. "It...it was different. I hadn't really realized...I was just confused and scared, man. You're not supposed to like other men." Or dogs-turned-men, but Claus decided not to mention this.

Fuel shook his head at his ginger friend. "Oh, c'mon. It's not like you can help it, right?"

"I know that now."

"Right. But he really came onto you first? Wow, I gotta say, that's a pretty ballsy move for a tenant. He seems pretty shy, too. Kinda shocking."

Claus closed his eyes. "Tell me about it."

Fuel glanced at him again. "But I don't entirely see your problem. You both love each other, right? Just apologize to him and explain everything. I'm sure he'd understand."

Claus groaned. "That's the problem. I've been trying for like a week now. I just can't seem to get him alone."

Fuel shrugged. "Just be assertive. I'm sure that if you asked him, he wouldn't mind talking."

"Okay. But what do I say?"

"Anything that sounds sincere. Don't make it too long, but don't make it too short, either. Then again, you know him better than I do. I'm confident that you'll be able to do it, though."

"Yeah, okay. I'll try not to make a complete idiot out of myself."

"Like you already did?"

"Shut the hell up."

After Fuel's bout of laughter, they both sat in silence for a little while. Then, the brunette stood up. "Well, I should probably get going. Dad'll have my hide if I'm not back by dark," he said, stretching out a bit.

Claus mirrored his actions. "Yeah, same here." He had to stifle a yawn. He turned towards Fuel a final time. He contemplated telling Fuel not to recount any of this to anyone else under any circumstances, but he shook that thought away. Fuel was his best friend; he wouldn't do something like that to him. "Thanks, man. I can't even tell you how crazy I was going."

Fuel laughed. "Ah, no problem. They do call me Doctor Love around these parts, you know," he grinned, stepping away and waving. "See ya, Claus."

Claus smiled back. "Later, Fuel."

On his way home a few minutes later, he felt oddly pumped. Claus shuddered. Now that he was good and determined, he couldn't wait to get home. He would sit Lucas down profess his love in the most convincing way possible. If Fuel was right and he did somehow manage to do this...

That night would be a good night.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Lolz. Fuel's headcanon is perfect. Also, I couldn't resist mentioning Bronson. He's awesome.**_

SO IT'S COMING GUYS. Finally, we'll get some real action _**(and by action, I mean...y'know, fluff and shit)**__**, sometime in the near future. It's not gonna be super duper hardcore, but...well, you'll see.**_

By the way: I've been getting a few questions about stuff like Lucas' dog form, _**things I've just barely touched on plot-wise**__** and the like. Don't worry, I haven't completely ditched that. It's also coming. It'll be a surprise. :3**_

_**Aaaallriiiight! Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Seriously, they're like my brain's sweet treats. You don't want my mind to starve, do you? xD**_

Love you guys lots~. C:


	14. Lucas' Wish

_**A/N: 's PG-13 (maybe even PG-15 lolz) again, guys. For the same reason as good ol' chapter eleven **__**(intense boy on boy action)**__**. :B**_

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: Shigesato Itoi owns this stuff (UrfBownd/Mama series). God, I love him and his mind.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

Claus was relieved when he entered the house to find everyone just beginning to sit down at the dinner table. He closed the door lightly and slipped off his shoes, padding towards the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

Hinawa placed a hot pasta-esque dish topped with cheese and meat sauce in the middle of the kitchen table before looking back at him with a smile. "Couldn't have better timing, dear, I just finished dinner. And here I thought you might be late."

Claus chuckled as water and soap cascaded down his hands and plopped into the sink's bottom noisily. "Me? _Late_? Oh, mom, where's your faith? I've never been late for anything."

"Well, I could think of one thing..." Flint grunted, facing away because of his place at the table. Lucas seemed to be observing the dish Hinawa had concocted, obviously trying to figure out what it was.

"And what would that be?"

"Birth."

A pause. "H-huh?" Claus whipped his head around to face his father as he toweled his hands dry, trying and failing to ignore Lucas' sudden laughter.

Hinawa giggled. "You know, that's right! Claus was a week late. That sure did have us worried, didn't it?" She turned to him, a sweet smile on her face. "I don't know what we would've done without you."

Claus' face turned red as he looked away to replace the used towel. "Oh, mom..."

When the redhead sat next to Lucas, the blonde swiveled his head a bit to smile toothily and nod in greeting. _Oh_, that was distracting. So much so that Hinawa's question went unheard by him. "Claus?"

He suddenly snapped to attention, hoping Lucas hadn't seen the stupid look on his face but knowing he probably had anyway. "Er, sorry?"

Hinawa repeated her inquiry. "I asked, where did you go off to this afternoon?"

"Oh." Claus shrugged. "Nowhere special, just to town. Met up with Fuel, we talked for a while."

"Really? That's good. You two have seen so little of each other lately." She served the plates of food idly, pondering a bit. "I'm surprised he had any time to himself though...Lighter works that boy like a dog!"

The duration of dinner passed in a lazy, comfortably content sort of way. The dish Hinawa had made turned out to be a lasagna, another foreign food a friend had told her about, and it was quite good with the four cheeses and hearty sauce it boasted. Hinawa asked about Fuel, Lucas critiqued the food, Flint mentioned the animals and how they were doing. The meal took up a lot of conversation room, as it was delicious but took a minute to chew. It was like a happy family dinner, with a mother and a father and two brothers.

Wait, no. Not _brothers_. Claus wouldn't want that, if only for his own selfish reasons.

Anyway, as he gathered the dishes from around the table and deposited them in the sink so he could wash them momentarily, he noticed something; Lucas hadn't showered before dinner, meaning he'd be doing it now. _Sweet. Perfect opportunity, right here._ He said his goodnights to his mother and father, as Lucas did, and all but sprinted back to the sink, determined to have his moment alone with the blonde. The taller boy ascended the stairs as he scrubbed away, not even thinking about his crippling fear at this point, just wanting the dishes clean and drying in the dish rack so he could get upstairs.

He was at the top of said stairs five minutes later, satisfied when he heard the shower running. The redhead decided he'd pajama himself up now; he could always shower in the morning, anyway. Two minutes later, clad in a black tee shirt and gray bottoms, he collapsed onto the bed in wait when the water stopped. The redhead sat up once more, feeling like somewhat of a stalker listening in on Lucas' bathroom time; the swish of the shower curtains, the plodding of his feet on the tile, the rustling of fabric as he dressed. Claus just shook his head and stood up to deposit his used clothes in the dirty clothes basket. In the process of doing so, the bathroom door opened up, and out stepped Lucas.

And Claus had seen Lucas fresh out the shower before, but that was nothing compared to this. The boy donned a long-sleeve white shirt and black sweats, pretty much covering his entire body. The only skin visible was his hands, feet, and neck, which glistened very slightly almost tauntingly at him. The shirt clung to Lucas' damp torso, leaving little to imagination; he had little to no muscle definition whatsoever, but was thin and dexterous to make up for that. His face was still flushed from the heat of the shower and his fair hair lay in a wet clump on top of his head, an he still managed to be one of the most beautiful things Claus had ever seen. _Dear God, I'm turning into some kind of lovesick little girl. Eucch._

Lucas caught him staring, but if this bothered him at all, he didn't show it. He flashed him a smile. "Good night, Claus," he offered simply, walking to the closet to gather his supplies before descending the stairs once again.

But he would not be deterred, not this time. "Lucas, sit down," Claus said, carefully calculating his tone to a reasonably commanding kind of volume. "We need to talk."

Lucas stopped in his tracks, turning his head to look at him with a rather surprised look. He looked like he might've had the tenacity to disobey the redhead, but after a moment he obliged, sitting at the foot of the be with his hands in his lap and looking at him with utmost attention, looking for all the world like a little kid for a split second.

Claus stared for a second before clearing his throat. "Er, rather, I have some talking—explaining to do." Having not the slightest clue of what to do with himself, he began to pace around the room. "I haven't been all that smart about all this. In fact, I've been a real bastard. It's just...like, a defense mechanism or something, and I can't help it. I'm sorry."

Lucas didn't quite know what the shorter boy was going on about, but he shut up and let him get it off his chest anyway.

Claus continued his pacing. "And I'm not so great with words either, as you can no doubt tell. Especially not when it comes to things like this," he motioned with his hands between them, noting Lucas' subtly confused expression. "I...you just caught me off guard. I've never...really felt anything like this before, much less for you. Not in a bad way, of course," he quickly amended, now facing away from the blonde.

"Er...th-thanks?" Lucas wasn't sure whether to speak or not, but blind reassurance surely couldn't hurt.

"Ugh, you see? I have no idea what to say. But Fuel said heartfelt, so I'm going to give you heartfelt." He did a one eighty now, catching Lucas' gaze seriously. "I don't care what anyone else thinks anymore. I don't care what you are anymore. Nothing like that even matters. I realize that now."

Lucas' eyes widened, finally catching his drift. "C-Claus..." his breath caught in his throat. Hearing the emotion in the other's voice, meant solely for him...it sent a strange wave of euphoria through his brain and down his spine.

Claus, throwing caution to the wind, strode over in a single motion and nearly tackled Lucas, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into the pale skin of his neck, inhaling the scent and relishing in the feeling he'd missed for what felt like forever. He smelled like soap and shampoo, and that faintly sweet yet musky kind of smell that could only be described as _Lucas_. He separated his face from the blonde's skin just enough to say what he needed to say. "I care about you so much. I don't quite..._love_ you, but I know that it's a very possible prospect."

Lucas was quiet for a minute, and Claus was afraid he might've said something out of line. Then the taller boy burst out laughing.

Claus flinched at the unexpected reaction, frowning into his neck. "What the hell are you laughing at? I already feel like enough of an idiot, thank you," he said sharply without lifting his face, causing his lips to tickle Lucas' neck.

Lucas managed to stifle his fit of giggles. "N-no, it isn't anything like th-that," he reassured, squeezing Claus in return and pulling the redhead down with him so that they now laid on the bed. "That was just...s-so sweet. I care about you a lot t-too, y'know."

Claus folded his arms on Lucas' chest, staring down at him. "I know. So, we good?"

Lucas giggled again. "Yeah, we're g-good."

As they gazed at one another, both their expressions became unreadable. Lucas suddenly realized that Claus was on top of him, and wasn't sure if he was okay with that. _Well, I could always find out. _

"Claus."

"Hmm?"

"Since we're o-okay and all, do you think we c-could...?"

Claus knew exactly what he was asking because of the way Lucas' eyes were trained on his lips. Smiling, he decided to let those lips convey his thoughts, and leaned down to mesh their mouths together. He had never initiated a kiss with anyone else, but it came easy to him, as it turned out. Lucas eagerly met him, pushing against him just as hard.

Claus pulled away teasingly, smirking at Lucas' awed expression. "Does that answer your question?"

Lucas let his head fall back onto the bed, eyes closed and grinning. "Yeah. It also f-fulfills a wish."

Claus raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Do tell."

Lucas opened an eye to look at him. "You remember that one day we went to town and made a wish throwing a coin into the fountain? Well, that was it. I wished that you would kiss me."

Claus' brows furrowed now. "But we've kissed before."

"Yeah, but every sssingle time it was me who started i-it. This time was different. You s-started it. So my wish c-came true."

"True." Claus had to admit that Lucas had a point. Then he shook his head with a smile. "Such a technicality."

"So what did y-you wish for?"

"I don't want to jinx it."

"Oh, c'mon, Claus."

"Seriously."

"Can I guess?"

"Sure, but I won't tell you if you're right."

"C-Claus!"

Claus laughed and nuzzled Lucas' neck. "You may find out one day."

Lucas tightened his hold on Claus' waist. "I can't wait."

"I'm sure. But that's enough talking. I'm deprived of you, Lucas," Claus murmured against his neck before giving it a soft lick.

Lucas gasped at the unexpected action, not at all displeased by it. "You think you're d-deprived? How do you think I've f-felt for the past three weeks?"

"I'll make it up to you somehow." Claus now nibbled on the spot he just licked, eliciting another gasp.

He alternated between the two tactics in different spots, careful not to leave any marks that would give away their sinful actions. Now bored with this, his hands slid their way down Lucas' torso before dipping underneath the white fabric of his shirt and roaming back up. Claus pushed the meddlesome cloth up out of his immediate way, but Lucas one upped him by taking a few seconds to shrug the obstacle off and away, leaving his chest completely exposed for the redhead, who took it all in with hungry eyes. Sure, he'd seen fleeting glances of it before, but he'd never been able to really appreciate it. The skin was pale, more so than Claus' own, and it was firm and soft to the touch, something with which neither had qualms. Claus traced patterns along the blonde's bare chest, teasing his nipples by ghosting over them. Lucas whined at him, imploring him to do something other than kill him with the foreplay.

Deeming this needy sound satisfactory, Claus began massaging the both of them between his fingers, enjoying Lucas' expression below him. He looked so _vulnerable_ with his eyes squeezed shut and his head thrust to the side. The thought that only he could do this to him was more than adequate; it spurred him on, deciding to lower his mouth to and rub a warm tongue over the congregation of flesh, making Lucas shiver one of those good shivers that one just couldn't get enough of.

"Oh, God," the taller boy breathed as Claus continued his ministrations. "I'm s-sorry, Claus."

This caused Claus to halt. "What for?"

"I'm not doing a-anything."

Claus chuckled. "Like it matters."

Soon, though, even this became boring for both parties. After a few more chaste kisses, Claus sat upright and gazed down at Lucas pensively, trying to gauge how far he (or Lucas, for that matter) was willing to go. Lucas squirmed under his attention, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"You're looking at me f-funny," Lucas mentioned, pulling his shirt from where they'd thrown it to the side earlier to drape across his chest, his modesty coming back to him. "Did I do s-something wrong?"

Claus chuckled at his antics, gently tugging the shirt away. "No, not at all. Don't hide your beautiful body from me, darling," he chided playfully, leaning down to plant a kiss right above his belly button.

Lucas had trouble keeping the frown on his face. "Mm, well, this f-feels kind of one-sided if y-you ask me," he pointed out. "I'd feel b-better if you took off your shirt t-too."

Claus raised his arms. "You take it off then."

Lucas frowned but by no means objected, grasping the hem of his black tee and hefting it off in one movement. Claus' bare torso was, in Lucas' humble opinion, awesome. His skin had more color to it that his own did, which was a given; Lucas was just pale by default, while Claus was a natural light tan color. His chest was a bit shorter, but it had actual muscle definition, something which the blonde lacked severely. He was thicker than Lucas, too, but it was a healthy thick. He looked very healthy all around. Very sexy, too, with that smirk as he watched Lucas' expression amusedly. "Well? Is it as nice as you expected?"

Lucas flushed and playfully slapped the other boy in the stomach. "Shut up." But that slap was basically just an excuse to touch him. For some reason he was much shyer than usual today, and it was Claus doing all the work. The redhead encouraged him, leaning into his touch. Lucas let his hand roam a bit before letting the other join the party, running over Claus' loosely defined abdominal muscles. He then went upward, catching a nipple between his fingers. Claus' breath hitch boosted his morale, and he mirrored Claus' earlier actions, massaging the lumps until they became hard in his grasp.

"I'll never understand why that feels so good," Claus observed as Lucas' hands fell back down to his sides.

"I have the m-magic touch," Lucas laughed.

Claus' grin quickly faded. Lucas' expression wasn't far behind it, wondering what the sudden change in emotion was for, but all thought processes were shot down a moment later as Lucas let out a shaky gasp, back arching slightly as he threw his head back into the sheets. Claus had just experimentally ground their hips together, resulting in a friction of delicious proportions.

"Oh my God," Lucas gasped. "Do th-that again."

Claus was on it before the words even left Lucas' mouth. He pressed himself to the blonde firmly, noting with a small sense of pride the hardness down below his navel before roughly scraping up again, both of them gasping at the sensation. Claus did it again and again, each time pressing harder than the last. It was all Lucas could do to keep his moans semi-quiet as the two dry humped each other vigorously, smushed together as close as possible, craving the feel of each other. Claus got caught up in the moment and began planting sloppy kisses on the blonde's cheeks and forehead, and Lucas didn't seem to mind it much as his fists balled up in red hair as the two found the rhythm that produced the best pressure between them. This went on for who knows how many minutes. Hot breath mingled as they both began to pant from exertion, and Claus knew that something was coming, and it was coming fast. One more deep kiss and a few more desperate thrusts was all it took to send Lucas over the top.

"C-Claus, I'm not g-going to last...m-much...lo—ah, _ah_!" he spluttered as he went rigid, clinging to Claus like his very life depended on it.

That last sound was what triggered Claus' release. "Lu—_cas!_" Claus managed to stifle his own yell by plunging his face into the blonde's hair, back arched and mind blown. It was a few seconds after Lucas slumped back into the bedsheets that he finally went limp, falling onto his back beside the other boy in a dazed state of afterglow. Both chests were heaving, but both were quite satisfied...if a bit sticky.

Claus was first to speak after the few minutes of silence and breathing. "That...was amazing."

Lucas shook his head. "That was m-more than amazing...they d-don't have words good e-enough to describe that."

Claus chuckled. "Ain't that the truth."

Another period of silence ensued. It was another couple of minutes before Lucas tentatively voiced his concern. "...we should probably change, h-huh?"

"Good idea."

Lucas sat up straight, his discomfort obvious. Before he could stand, however, Claus grabbed his hand. The blonde looked back questioningly. "Hmm?"

Claus grinned. "Sleep with me?"

Lucas' face was blank for a moment before he shook his head. "You really th-think I'd go and s-sleep on the couch after th-_that_?"

Claus sat up now, grimacing at the feel of the mess in his pants. "I don't know, you can be a blockhead sometimes."

Lucas nudged him. "This is not o-one of those times."

Claus leaned in and swiftly kissed him. "Good."

And so they cleaned themselves up, discarding their pants and boxers for fresh ones and settling into bed beside each other, both feeling content. As Claus turned the lamp off, Lucas yawned and rested his head on Claus' chest, worn out. "Good night, honey," he murmured, only half-playfully.

Claus chuckled, ruffling his hair affectionately. "G'night, love."

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Yaay. Sorry this is late. I have so many things I want to write and so little time to do it. But this obviously takes priority, 'cause it's freaking ClausxLucas. :B it's actually over 3,000 words long this time, too. About time.**_

Also, thinking about posting this story over on dA, 'cause I'm a view whore. Thoughts? Is that overkill? Lol. And while we're at it, does anyone even want an M-rated chapter? This was preeeetty damn close, but...yeah. No removal of the pants = no M rating. :B

Anyway, I'll shut up. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. I didn't get any last chapter! What's wrong? Am I moving too fast? Getting too descriptive with the boy on boy?

We out. C:


	15. In Sickness and in Health

_**A/N: SORRY THIS CHAPTER'S SO LATE. It's been like a month. Apologies. Anyway, just a bit of a warning, this chapter gets a bit graphic...I guess. And no, it has nothing to do with boy on boy this time.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't not own nothing. (Triple negative = negative, trololol)**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

It was dark.

No, it was really dark. Pitch black dark. And deathly silent. Claus could barely see his hand two inches in front of him. He had no idea where he was, but something told him he knew this place vaguely from somewhere. Feeling around on himself, he was confused when he found himself completely naked, standing in the middle of the as-far-as-he-knew endless void.

Suddenly, a single beam of light cut through the darkness, right down on him. His eyes took a second to adjust to the harsh brightness as he squinted and held a hand over his face, but once they did he glanced around himself very curiously. He saw nothing but himself, reflected on all sides by walls made entirely of mirrors, the light pooling around his bare feet. He blinked a few times. It was white disorienting.

Suddenly a figure stepped out of the surrounding darkness behind him, something he could see through the reflection in the mirrors. Claus whirled around to face it.

There was nothing there.

But Claus could still see the figure, in the mirror's reflection, clear as day. It looked to be just as tall as he was, donning a black fur-lined jacket, orange pants, boots and a helmet. It gazed at him with no expression at all, just standing there almost ominously, arms hanging limply by his sides.

Claus went to ask it a question. _Do you know where we are?_ He blinked, bringing a hand to his mouth instinctively. _Excuse me... _His eyes widened as he gripped his throat suddenly. _Hello! __**Hello!**_ Try as he might to produce a sound, nothing came of his efforts as he struggled, willing something, anything to come out. The masked man looked at him blankly, unaffected by the fact.

Claus looked down at nothing, hands still gripping his throat trembling. _I can't talk...?_

The figure in the mirror suddenly wasn't alone anymore, accompanied by four others shrouded in darkness. The first, right next to him, stepped into the light. It was revealed to be Fuel, that goofy smile of his on his face. Claus felt something brush against him, and a quick glance to the side told him that Fuel was actually standing beside him, looking into the mirror just as he did. _Fuel? What is he doing here?_

Before he had a chance to try and communicate with the brunette, the masked man in the mirror suddenly raised its left arm a little, holding a glowing saber of some kind, reared back and stabbed Fuel square in the stomach, twisting the blade before removing it roughly.

Claus watched this in discomfort, but it wasn't until the Fuel beside him fell to the ground that he became truly horrified. Dropping to his own knees, the redhead scrambled to try and assist Fuel in some way. Picking his torso up to lay on his lap while he tried to do something, anything to help, he was startled by the amount of blood pouring from his fatal wound and onto the colorless floor. Fuel smiled weakly up at him, apparently resigned to his fate. Claus was honestly panicking, having absolutely no idea of what the hell he could possibly do. _What the—why, why, how did he, oh my God who is he and how did he even hurt Fuel as a reflection?_

As Fuel bled to death in his arms, Claus went to shoot the figure in the mirror the dirtiest of poisonous glares, when his mouth went completely dry. The second of the four shadows, Flint, was up in the mirror now. With a start, Claus noticed his father standing beside him as well, face in a frown. Tears welled up in his eyes. _No, dad, you can't—_

He watched in horror as his father's head was severed entirely from his body by the masked man, sent flying a few inches away. Claus screamed as Flint's lifeless body and head hit the floor, blood spewing from his neck, but of course no sound could be heard. _Why was this happening? _Fuel sputtered silently in his hold as he went limp, his eyes clouding over. Claus stared at the two completely and utterly appalled, eyes stinging fiercely. He felt so _helpless_. What was he supposed to do now?

When Claus felt a sudden presence behind him, he looked up into the mirror, absolutely dreading who could be next. His fears were realized when he saw a familiar blonde standing behind him through the mirror, face completely blank. He felt like he couldn't breathe. _No, no, please, no, not him, not—_

The masked man's saber paid Claus' begging no mind as it gleefully slit the boy's throat, allowing the brilliant red substance of life to seep freely out of the gash. Claus screamed again, at this point beyond caring that it was a futile move, watching in absolute desolation as Lucas collapsed in front of him, landing beside him, head lying on the floor facing him as he moved his lips in an effort to say something. When their eyes met, Claus let out a painful sob as he instinctively put a hand in front of the slit on his throat, trying desperately to stop the bleeding and demanding that he hold on and not give up. Lucas smiled at him before he died, eyes closing and body sagging into the floor. The redhead choked out another silent sob as he fell, hugging his body and weeping into his striped shirt openly.

_Why?_

He didn't understand why. Why or how this masked figure was killing everyone he loved and cared about right in front of his eyes. Why he was here. Why he was being condemned like this. What had he done to deserve such a horrible, unspeakable punishment?

But then he remembered with a jolt that there had been one more figure waiting up there to be killed. Slowly Claus lifted his head, more than a little afraid of what he would see. And what do you know?

He was just in time to watch the masked man stab his mother right through the heart, killing her instantaneously.

_Mom!_

And just like that, all the mirrors shattered into millions of tiny, sharp little pieces, glinting dangerously in the light still shining down on him. It was, for the first time, very loud, an excruciating volume to he who had been subjected to complete silence for so long. He flinched violently at the sound, the sound he hated above all else, and watched in horror as every single piece pointed sharply right toward him, somehow hovering in midair. Claus finally saw the masked man for real, standing just beyond the circle of light, visible only by the light emanating from his saber. He raised his left arm into the air and shouted a command that Claus couldn't hear. The shards flew toward him at an incredible speed.

"...laus..."

They impaled him, driving themselves into his skin so painfully as the masked man looked on, face as expressionless as ever.

"...Claus..."

Claus cried out, unable to hear himself over the screeching and static in his ears as he thrashed about involuntarily, blood seeping from the cuts and punctures as wave upon wave of glass shards came upon him.

"Claus?"

The boy began falling, the floor giving out from under him as he writhed in uncontrollable agony, nearly every inch of his skin torn or bloodied. His mind blanked as he continued to fall and fall and fall, pain and utter confusion and overpowering remorse coursing through his veins. He felt arms wrap around his broken form.

"_Claus_!"

He woke up screaming, eyes shooting open and chest positively heaving. He was shaking uncontrollably and he was drenched in a cold sweat, adrenaline still hot in his bloodstream. It was dark, but it was familiar; he was in his bed, in his room, under his covers and held by his Lucas. Claus panted for a moment before burying his face in Lucas' shirt, exhaling shakily. "_Shit_."

"It's okay," Lucas whispered, rubbing soothing circles on his back and pulling him close. "You're okay. I'm h-here."

They stayed like that for a long time, until Claus' heart stopped pounding and his breathing returned to normal. The redhead was almost embarrassed at his obvious helplessness, opting to not talk about it at all if he could help it. But of course Lucas would have to ask sooner or later. "Scary dream, huh?" he commented softly when Claus' trembling had all but ceased. "You were th-thrashing around and whimpering. I got kinda scared," he chuckled. "...t-tell me about it?"

Claus waited a minute before taking a deep breath. "I really...hate that dream," he muttered, leaning away from the blonde so it was easier to talk. "No matter how many times I have it, it always feels so real. The pain, the shock, everything..." he trailed off, glad that the dark hid their faces from each other. He felt like such an idiot, getting so worked up over a dream.

"Hmm...so you've h-had it before." Lucas relaxed his hold on the redhead. "That's...odd. What is i-it about?"

"...it doesn't have much of a plot, really," Claus struggled to come up with a way to describe it. "Basically there's this room surrounded by mirrors, and there's this man, this guy with a helmet on that I can only see reflected in the mirrors. He doesn't talk, because we can't talk, we can't hear anything. Then he always manages to take people I care about and kill them right there in front of me, like some kind of sadistic, evil magician. I had to watch Mom and Dad and Fuel and y-you die right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything about it. Then all the mirrors explode and the shards all rip through me...that's usually when I wake up," he finished, flinching at the recollection of that last part. "It...it feels so real, it hurts so bad. Those damn shards...they scare the _shit_ out of me, man. Once, when I was like eight, I dropped a glass, and I swear, I had a minor heart attack." Claus shivered. "It's so stupid. Normal people are scared of spiders and snakes and other rational stuff. Me? I'm scared of glass." A hand covered part of his face as he sighed. "I've had this dream since I was little, and I don't have the slightest idea why."

Lucas' face was unreadable in the dark. "That's...t-terrible. It must've been horrible. I d-don't blame you, though," he brought his face a bit closer. "I'd be freaked out t-too. You seem really...put off by it, so I won't a-ask anymore questions. Sorry for bringing it up."

Claus smiled a bit. "Don't be. You kinda deserve to know, anyhow." He pulled the covers he'd pushed down in a subconscious frenzy back up over his shoulders. "I don't want to think about it anymore right now, though. Let's hope I can get back to sleep."

Lucas chuckled before leaning away to sneeze for a moment ("Bless you," Claus whispered. Lucas thanked him accordingly), laying himself back down next to the shorter boy. "If not, we can always just lay here, c-counting sheep together."

Claus allowed himself to fall back next to the blonde. "Oh yes, because that's going to wear me out." Lucas snaked an arm around his middle and let his head rest on the edge of his own pillow, so close that his breath tickled Claus' face. The redhead chuckled. "But I guess I could try."

Lucas smiled. "That's the spirit," he murmured, closing his eyes. "See the f-fence, with the sheep all trapped inside? Oh, look, th-there goes one, jumping out. And there's another. One, t-two, three, four, five..." he trailed off when he heard no response from Claus. "Claus, don't y-you see them?" he asked. Still no response. When Lucas opened his eyes, Claus appeared to be asleep already, breathing steadily with eyes closed and a neutral expression on his face. Lucas blinked. "Who falls asleep that fast?"

Claus' face broke into a grin. "I'm not sleeping. I'm listening to you count the sheep for me."

Lucas pursed his lips. "You're so m-mean, making me do all the work," he chided playfully, shoving him a bit and earning a snicker. The blonde's face softened. "But fine. Have it your w-way." He closed his eyes once more. "Alright, let's see...one, two, th-three, four, five, six, seven, e-eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve..."

Lucas had to stifle another sneeze five minutes later, when Claus really had drifted off to another, much more calm slumber.

_-asdfjkl;-_

"God, you're so _hot_!"

Lucas sneezed for the umpteenth time that morning, wincing as it made his head throb painfully. "Guh...thanks so much for the a-astute observation, Captain Obvious."

The blonde lay wrapped in layer upon layer of blankets, still in Claus' bed. He wasn't feeling too great at the moment; unbearable fever, runny nose, sore throat as a result, and even nausea. Claus removed his hand from the boy's forehead, frowning. "There's no need to be an ass. Didn't you feel this coming on at all yesterday?"

Lucas blew his nose in a tissue, throwing it in the formidable pile that had formed on the floor next to the bed. "No...I mean, I was sneezing a little, sure, but I thought it was just allergies or something." He coughed, the reflex wracking his body. "My _God_, I feel like shit."

Claus smiled sheepishly. "You look like shit, too."

Lucas opened an eye to glare at him. "You're not helping."

Claus chuckled. "Yes I am. Don't you know laughter is the universal cure?"

"I don't see anyone laughing."

A frown. "Alright, jerk. I can tell when my presence isn't wanted." Claus walked over to the stairwell mock-hurt, but turned around at the top to look back at him seriously. "Take a nap or something."

Lucas smiled. "Maybe if you'd shush I'd be able to."

Claus rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he trotted down the stairs.

At the foot of said stairs, he spied his mother hovering over a pot on the oven, spoon in hand and a few ingredients on the counter next to her. She stopped humming the small tune she had been nodding along with, turning slightly to greet her son once again. "Hello again, Claus. You're just in time to help me make some soup!"

Claus' interest was suddenly piqued. "Soup, huh?" he observed, walking over to where his mother stood. "What ki..." he cut himself of as he noticed the potatoes, shredded cheese and garlic she had standing by. "Oh my God, you're making potato soup. Yes!" he exclaimed while he rubbed his hands together, excited by the prospect of his mother's famous potato soup. It was hailed far and wide (by Tazmily residents, anyway) as one of the best recipes ever.

Hinawa giggled. "It isn't for you; it's for Lucas." She stirred the liquid in the pot a little. "Now, do me a favor and chop up some celery."

"I can't even have a taste? Awh, mom," Claus whined as he opened the fridge, sliding a drawer open to grab the celery from the appropriate bag. "There's gonna be plenty."

His red-clad mother glanced back at him amusedly. "We'll see."

The cutting board already out for him, Claus simply grabbed a knife from the rack next to the stove and went at it, cutting the little stems and roots off before slicing the vegetable into rather thick pieces. He personally didn't like celery, but when it was cooked it had no flavor, so it wasn't all that bad.

Hinawa went and added half a stick of butter to the pot, stirring away. "So how is Lucas feeling now? Any better?"

Claus frowned slightly. "No, not at all. He's still burning up and he looks miserable."

The woman tutted. "Is that so? The poor dear," she lamented, stirring absently.

Claus moved on to the second stick of celery. "Yeah. Didn't seem at all sick last night, but when I woke up he was practically crying 'cause his head hurt so bad."

"Mmm...you know, that does bring up a good point. Why was Lucas sleeping up there, anyway?"

Claus started. _Huh, good question._ He had a feeling telling her that they had been dry humping each other wouldn't be the best of ideas. But what should he say? "Uh...Lucas had a, uhm, bad dream last night, so he asked if he could sleep up there with me." _Oh God, is that really the best you can come up with? Dumbass._

His mother giggled once. "Isn't he a bit old to be asking to sleep with others?" she asked, in a way that told Claus she didn't quite believe that, but she didn't question him directly.

Claus shrugged, just in case she was looking at him. "Dunno. He seemed pretty freaked out." He'd have to tell Lucas this, just in case Hinawa asked him about it too.

"Hmm."

The two stayed silent for the most part throughout the duration of cooking the meal. It didn't take all that much longer; Claus added the celery and his mother dumped in the cheese, garlic, and diced potatoes, stirred and let it sit for a good twenty minutes or so. That time was spent by Claus cutting a few pieces of bread to go along with their creation and by Hinawa cleaning up the kitchen a bit. They chatted a bit while they waited for the soup to reach the right consistency, but for the most part they listened to the rain pitter patter on the window, relishing the gloomy weather outside. It was very cozy, a perfect day for momma's homemade potato soup.

A few minutes later, the redhead hovered behind his mother as she stirred the concoction for what he hoped to be the final time. "So, is it done yet?"

Hinawa lifted the ladle a bit to test its thickness. "I believe so," she affirmed, nodding her head gently in unison. "Grab a bowl and a tray, will you? A spoon, too."

"'Course," her son replied, hands having already been up in the cupboard before she had given him the okay. Pulling said items out, he needed only to slide the drawer next to him open to pull out the requested spoon before the deed was done. Hinawa thanked him as she poured the off-white, chunky liquid into the bowl, not skimping out in the slightest portion-wise.

Once the tray was all set and ready, she looked at her son mock-sternly. "Can I trust you to actually give this to Lucas and not eat it all yourself?"

Claus looked hurt. "Mom," he gasped, hand over his chest as he stumbled back, like he'd just been injured. "I can't believe you'd accuse me of something so _vile_. Of course I can. Just leave it to me."

She eyed him for a moment before smiling, handing off the tray of food. "Alright, then, I'm counting on you."

"I'll do my best, ma'am!" he handlessly saluted before slowly making his way back through the kitchen and to the stairs. He ignored Hinawa's playful warning to not spill the stuff on her carpet, shaking his head. The soup was white, their carpeting was white-ish. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal if he had, anyway. Except maybe smelling like soup forever more.

At the top of the stairs, he peeked into the room curiously, wondering if Lucas had had any sort of problem during the half hour he'd been away. It didn't seem like it; he was still laying in virtually the same position, eyes open and staring up at the ceiling in a deadpan. Claus frowned. "So you didn't take a nap, then," he observed as he walked over to the bedside.

Lucas blinked before looking at him. "It's not all th-that easy of a thing to do when y-your nose is clogged and your throat feels like sssomeone kicked you in it," he justified, raising his head to get a better look at the redhead. "You brought f-food?"

He referred to the tray Claus had in hand, with bowl and piece of bread in plain sight. Claus smiled. "Mhmm. And not just any old food, either; it's my mom's special potato soup recipe. So freaking good."

Lucas' face contorted in a way Claus couldn't figure out. "I-I'm sure it is," he smiled weakly, pushing himself up as fast as he could. "Now I suggest you m-move back."

Claus blinked again but did as he was told, scooting back about half a foot. Lucas flung himself off the bed and stumbled into the open bathroom, falling to his knees in front of the toilet before he threw up rather violently in the porcelain bowl.

Claus sighed and went to set the tray down on the bedside table before entering the bathroom also, kneeling beside his blonde companion. He rubbed the coughing and spluttering boy's back soothingly, not sure of what else he could do to help him out. Claus winced slightly when Lucas' back muscles tensed as he heaved again, though there wasn't anything left in his stomach. The taller of the two spit and coughed a few more times before he sat back shakily, his expression disgusted.

Claus pat his back sympathetically. "So disgusted by the idea of potato soup that you blow chunks, eh?" he joked lightly.

The ghost of a smile appeared on Lucas' face. "Looked like it, d-didn't it?" he chuckled before attempting to stand up, unable to stop shaking enough to push himself off he ground. Claus pulled him up and flushed the poor toilet while the blonde grabbed his toothbrush, scrubbing his mouth vigorously in an attempt to get the bitter taste out of his palate.

Claus chuckled. "Remind me to tell mom to boil that."

Lucas spit into the sink, letting the water rinse his brush out. "Right." As the redhead escorted him back to the bed, he shivered. "Guh, I hate throwing u-up. I've been trying to hold that o-one in all morning."

Claus frowned as he helped him back into the bed. "Really? You shouldn't do that, you know, it's bad for you. Makes you feel better if you just get it out of your system."

Lucas laid down fully again under the blankets, face skeptical. "I don't feel any better, a-actually. And it's so _nasty_." He paused here, opening an eye to gaze up at Claus. "Please don't make me eat."

Claus chuckled. "I'm not going to make you eat if you don't want to. More for me, anyway," he licked his lips, eyes flickering toward the still-steaming bowl next to them.

Lucas rolled his eye. "You're so chivalrous."

The redhead puffed his chest out. "Can't just let this tasty food go to waste, now can I?" he asked, as if this justified his actions. Lucas merely snorted weakly in response. Claus smirked, leaning his face way down to Lucas' level. "Don't act like you don't find my warped sense of responsibility charming."

Lucas looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Stealing m-my food, charming? Hardly."

"You weren't even gonna eat it anyway."

"That's not the p-point."

Claus sighed. "Man, you really must feel crappy, trying to argue with me like this," he noted, taking a quick glance at the stairwell to make sure they weren't being watched. "I know what'll make you feel better~."

Lucas turned his head to the side when Claus tried to kiss him. "No, n-not now," he denied, his slight blush undetectable due to how red his face had already been from the fever. "You're going to get y-yourself sick."

Claus laughed. "It's funny how you think I care," he muttered, grabbing Lucas' face to keep it in place before pecking him on the lips. "Mmm, minty."

Lucas gave him a look of disapproval. "If you catch this I'm n-not taking care of you."

Another laugh. "Oh, yes you would."

Lucas didn't respond. Instead, he shivered. "I don't understand how I can h-have a fever and still be cold," he whined, snuggling deeper into the covers.

Claus paused for a moment before he smirked. "I could warm you up."

Before the blonde could even begin to object, Claus managed to crawl into the cocoon with him in little more than one swift motion, pressing himself against Lucas and looking quite pleased with himself. After a few seconds, he spoke again. "Warmer?"

Lucas regarded him with an amused look. "You are warm, I'll g-give you that," he admitted, relaxing against the redhead. "But what if your mom c-comes up or something?"

Claus shook his head. "Y'know, it isn't even that uncommon, using body heat to keep each other warm. And besides, I'd be able to hear her. Calm down, and enjoy me."

Lucas stifled a laugh-turned-cough. "E-enjoy you? Impossibility."

When Hinawa did eventually come up fifteen minutes later, she came very close to smacking her son with the ladle she still had in hand when she saw him eating the very bowl she had made him promise to give to Lucas and not eat himself.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Oh hey look it's the inevitable chapter. Cliche much? Well...this entire fic is pretty damn cliche anyways.**_

This was nothing but a nightmare, some fluff and Lucas throwing up. I promise I'll give you some plot next chapter ;A; Seriously. Questions will finally he answered. ...some, anyway.

And kfff—24_**60**__** HITS. LIKE, YEHS. I love you guys. Everyone who reads this. Wish I could give you all hugs and cookies. C':**_

Anyway, on to my trademark line...leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Requesting critique especially on the nightmare sequence. Was it at least okay? First try at something of the sort. Cool kids review. So, uh...do it. Please.

Until we meet again...C:


	16. Owner!

_**A/N: Shout-out to those who reviewed last chapter (Simin and AmericanHeroics)! Muchas gracias, mis amigos.**_

DISCLAIMER: You guys should know how this goes by now. Don't own anything.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

"Rise and shiiiine!"

Sheets and comforter rustled as a body rolled around in the usually shared bed, facing away from his cheery assailant. He did his best to ignore he light streaming in traitorously through the windows. "...give me five more minutes," he said groggily.

The redhead tutted, shaking his head even though the boy below him couldn't see the gesture. "That's the kind of attitude that lets the day waste away. You're burning daylight, blondie, now get up!" He began to shake him, pulling the covers off.

Lucas snatched the covers back, curling into himself with a childish frown. "Let the d-daylight burn, I don't care. I need more sssleep."

"Mom's making omelets."

"Go have some."

"We have to babysit Alle today."

"I'm sure you can h-handle one little girl by y-yourself."

Claus leaned down to Lucas' level, practically breathing in his ear. "If you don't get up, I'm not going to kiss you for a week."

If this threat intimidated him, the blonde didn't show it at all. "Your loss, then."

Claus sighed. "Alright, alright. I see how it's gonna be. But you remember that you brought this on yourself, okay?" he insisted, rearing back a bit. Before the blonde could even attempt to voice a question about what the hell that was supposed to mean, Claus threw the covers off him and began tickling him on the side and on his neck in one swift movement.

The effect was immediate. Lucas flinched violently, instinctively aiming to get away from his harraser. "S-stop it now!" he cried, laughing despite himself at the sensation. Claus' touches were purposefully light, eliciting all kinds of giggles and laughs. The blonde tried to roll away, but the redhead's fingers followed him, refusing to grant him any respite. Lucas' face turned red as he began to splutter. "S-seriously! I can't breathe!"

Claus reluctantly pulled his hands away, laughing himself at his companion's contagious mirth. "So, you awake yet? We can do a round two if you want."

Lucas sat himself up, right hand on his heaving chest as he half-glared up at the shorter boy. "How about no," he all but rolled his eyes, coughing. "I'm going to t-tell your mother you molested me."

Claus raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Do it, I dare you." When Lucas didn't respond, he just chuckled and walked back around the foot of he bed to the dresser, chucking articles of clothing at the boy. "Now get dressed. Breakfast time."

Lucas rubbed his face. "Alright, fine."

When Claus and Lucas hopped and trudged down the stairs respectively five minutes later, Hinawa was sitting at the table expectantly, and looked up at them quizzically when they came into her line of sight. "The omelets are almost cold," she stated simply. "What took you two so long?"

Claus closed an eye, sticking a thumb back at the blonde behind him, who still rubbed his eyes sleepily. "This sleepyface wouldn't wake up, mom. Wasn't my fault, I swear."

Lucas yawned as they sat down in unison, bowing his head a bit apologetically. "Sorry, Hinawa."

Hinawa looked at Claus with a stern expression painted on her face. "Claus, you do realize that you didn't have to harass him until he woke up, right? If he needs sleep, _let_ him sleep, for goodness' sake!"

Claus frowned over the bottle of ketchup in his hands. "But you had already made his plate! You can't just waste good omelets like that," he defended himself, believing his actions to have been justified. "Plus he's slept late for the past two days. Time to reinforce the true wake up time."

The woman shook her head at her son. "You sound like your father, but completely out of context. It's Sunday; there isn't a whole lot going on. Lucas," she turned to him, picking up her fork and knife, "feel free to go up and snooze some more once you're done."

The boy smiled sheepishly, chuckling as he watched Claus drown his omelet in ketchup and mutter childishly. "Oh, Hinawa, it's f-fine. He does have a point, I'm getting l-lazy," he waved a hand at the subject, grabbing his own utensils. "Thanks for the food."

"Thanks for the food," the other two echoed.

They began to tuck themselves into the morning meal. The usual chorus of satisfied 'mmm's began as soon as the delicacy hit their tongues, sending taste buds spiraling into the savory heavens of the food world. While Hinawa took time to savor her own, her son and his friend scarfed the stuff down, leaving only a fourth of their respective omelets on their plates not three minutes later. She couldn't help but grin at their ravenous habits. There was just no teaching some people about the beauty of taking time to enjoy one's food.

"Sho," Lucas began, food still in his mouth. He swallowed before continuing. "When are w-we going over to Nan's?"

Hinawa looked at him, slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

Lucas blinked, confused by her bewilderment. "...you know, to babysit A-Alle?" he tried again, going off what Claus had told him earlier that morning.

Claus nearly choked on his food, coughing in laughter until he could breathe again. Lucas raised an eyebrow at the redhead, semi-aware of what was going on. "Or was that..."

Claus winked. "Oh, that was just me trying to convince you to get up. We're not babysitting."

Lucas facepalmed, feeling like a complete idiot. "Oh my God, Claus. Seriously now?"

The teen shrugged, seeing nothing immediately wrong with his little lie. "What? It's not that big of a deal, man. Don't tell me you were excited to play dress-up and doll house with her again."

The blonde stood up, walking his pretty much clear plate to the sink. "I'm going back to bed."

Claus laughed. "Dude."

Hinawa sighed. "You boys. Seems like you're always at odds with each other, at least recently."

Lucas paused. "Does it really?" he asked genuinely, not trying to be sarcastic in the slightest. "We don't try to be...do we?"

Claus shrugged. "No, not really. We don't agree on much, though, she's got a point there."

Lucas stroked his chin. "Weird."

As the latter two finished their meals, Lucas just kinda stood there, thinking to himself. Had he become hard to deal with? He hadn't meant to, really. There was just this feeling he had, inside him. Like there was something he was forgetting, something important. And it was _frustrating_, not knowing what it was or how to go about remembering it. Taking that out on those around him, however, was not acceptable. He'd have to snap himself out of this little funk he was in.

He was snapped out of his reverie by the clanking of more dishes in the sink. He caught Claus' gaze, and after a second's delay the two grinned at each other good-naturedly. It was good to know that theirs was a bond not broken very easily.

As the company of three made their way to the living room to sew, read and/or draw, there was a rather sudden knock at the door, one was wasn't the familiar rapping of their resident man of the house. Caught by surprise, Hinawa approached the door, _hmm_ing to herself. "It's still early," she mused. "I wonder who it could be?"

She opened the door to reveal a middle-aged looking man, no more than thirty-eight or so. He was rather big, easily inches taller than Hinawa, and he wore a plain wifebeater and khaki cargo pants. His face was square and framed by dark hair, but he seemed reasonable enough at a glance.

Hinawa blinked, but did not lose her composure. "Hello?"

The man bowed his head slightly. "Hey there," he said, his voice deep as a man's should be. "Sorry about such an early, unexpected visit, ma'am. I was actually hoping you could help me with something." He paused. "You see, I'm looking for a dog."

Claus froze when that last sentence left the man's mouth. No. No _way_. Lucas'..._owner_? It was a bit late for that, though, now wasn't it? His eyes darted over to the blonde beside him, and he was shocked to see blue eyes wider than he'd thought possible, mouth agape and face contorted into a horrified stare. Claus swallowed almost audibly, taking on a worried expression of his own. He hadn't been expecting such a strong reaction. As much as he wanted to ask, he'd have to wait until the guy left. So he settled with pulling him aside, out of the man's line of sight and into the living room.

The man didn't seem to notice. Hinawa didn't skip a beat, at least not a noticeable one. "Oh, do you mean the golden blonde one, with the blue eyes?"

The man nodded. "The very same. You have him? My boy would be so pleased to see him again."

Hinawa put on a sorrowful expression. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, but that dog ran away from us just a couple of weeks ago. I'm sorry."

The man sighed. "Really? That dumb dog. He ran away from us too, y'know. We live all the way up in New Pork. How he got down here, I don't know. Came down for a business meeting last night and saw a little poster saying he was found. Guess that's pretty old, huh?" he laughed.

Claus overheard this part from where he sat as close to a shivering Lucas as he possibly could without arousing suspicion on the sofa and mentally facepalmed. He remembered putting that very poster up, too, a couple days before Lucas' mysterious transformation. He'd forgotten to take the thing down afterwards.

Hinawa giggled along with him. "Yes, I'm afraid it is. So sorry I can't help you more."

He shook his head, holding up a hand. "Nah, it's fine. Thanks anyway. Sorry for disturbing you," he nodded his head once more. "Have a good day."

"You too," she called after him as he left, closing the door softly.

"I d-don't know how I c-could have forgotten about h-him," Lucas breathed, face in his hands and voice shaky.

"What happened, man?" Claus urged, unable to keep his hand from rubbing soothing circles on his back. "You look like you saw a ghost."

Hinawa practically flew over to them. "You recognized him?" she asked, sitting on the blonde's other side. "Poor dear, what really happened?"

Lucas rubbed his face, still looking down. "W-well, he's right. I did run away. But...I didn't like it th-there at all." He paused. "The little boy...Zack was his name. He o-only paid any attention to me when it was c-convenient for him. He liked to ride on my back, which hurt because h-he wasn't exactly the lightest kid. And he f-found it funny to hit me with things like sssticks and balls."

Hinawa put a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "So he was abusive? Oh, honey..."

Lucas shrugged a little. "Not really, I guess. He didn't do it with m-malicious intent or anything. He did it b-because he saw his father d-do it all the time. That man just now...he liked to d-drink."

Claus' eyes narrowed. "I knew it. You can see it in their eyes."

Hinawa gasped. "And he...?"

Lucas nodded, careful not to meet either of their gazes. "Yeah, he b-beat me. It was never anything s-super serious, but it still scared me senseless, y'know? He'd t-take things out on me, like pay cuts or frustration...he f-found out his wife was cheating on him, and that n-night he brought a knife outside with him..." Lucas shivered violently beneath their hands. "I th-thought I was gonna die."

The red-clad woman lowered her head. "That's...that's _horrible_," she whispered, expression pitying.

"That's unforgivable," Claus spoke through gritted teeth, _very_ tempted to get up and track that asshat down just so he could sock him in the face.

Lucas chuckled, attempting to make light of the situation. "Luckily when puh-people are drunk they don't have the best aim. The woman, his w-wife and the boy's mom...I liked her. She was n-nice; she was the one who fed me and t-took me on the occasional walk. But like I said, sh-she was cheating on her husband with another man, so she usually w-wasn't home."

There was a pause in which mother and son digested what the blonde had to say. The short of it all was that Lucas'd had a pretty crappy life as a dog.

"So...then what?" Claus pressed further, more than a bit curious as to how he'd made his way to Tazmily. "How did you get here all the way from _New Pork?_"

Lucas shrugged again. "I just d-did, I guess. While he was wasted, the man luh-left the front door open and I just sort of sssprinted out. I ran as far away as possible...to the t-train station on the outskirts of the city. I don't know how, but I knew th-that it would take me somewhere they couldn't find me, so I c-climbed into one of the open cargo cars and when I jumped out of i-it next, I was here, in Tazmily. It was late; walking through the t-town wasn't too troublesome, but near your house I stumbled into a really s-spiky plant and cut my paw really bad. I was tired and exhausted, so I j-just found a bush to hide under and collapsed. Then..." the taller boy paused, looking toward his redheaded companion, "Claus f-found me."

Thus ensued another moment of silence, Claus giving Lucas a somber look. "Is it bad that I'm glad you went through all that to end up here?"

Lucas returned the look, that feeling of affection that he couldn't help feeling swelling up in his chest. The boy suddenly wanted to tackle-hug his friend and kiss him senseless. "I don't think so."

The moment went by Hinawa unnoticed. "Honey, don't say things like that!" she reprimanded, albeit fairly lightly, hugging Lucas from the side. "Though I would be lying if I said I wasn't glad too."

Lucas was silent for a moment before he abruptly hunched over, face reddening and brows furrowing. Claus didn't notice he was crying until he sniffled noisily. "Y-you guh-guys..." he trailed off, wiping his eyes furiously with his hands. "I really l-love you."

Claus didn't hesitate to join the group hug, for a single moment not caring about anything other than this boy that they both held. "And we love you too."

Hinawa whole-heartedly agreed. "Mhmm."

They stayed like that for a while, no one minding the closeness of each other. Eventually Claus let go, and Hinawa followed suit, leaving the blonde bare once again. He smiled at them both gratefully. "Thanks, you two," Lucas said, rising to his feet. "I actually feel b-better, now that I remember at least some of my past." His bare feet hit the floor repeatedly as he made his way to the stairs without another word.

"Where are you going?" Claus asked, curiosity overtaking him.

Lucas didn't look back as he ascended the stairs. "Back to sleep."

Claus snorted, leaning back into the couch. Hinawa hummed to herself as she rose and walked herself over to the kitchen once more to begin washing dishes. The boy stretched his arms out above his head. The redhead had to admit, the thought of a short power-nap was rather appealing.

But the he got to thinking: could Lucas truly be fine with everything, just like that? It had shocked Claus quite a bit, and it hadn't even been his memories. Though it wasn't really any of his business, he decided he'd go check on him, just to be safe. So he hopped up from his seat and climbed the stairs himself. Walking through the open doorway, he found his blonde buddy flopped on the bed haphazardly, facing away from the door.

Claus approached the bed quietly. "Hey," he said, knowing Lucas wasn't asleep yet by the way his chest moved so fast. "You okay?"

Lucas turned his body around to face him, expression calm. "Yeah. Why w-wouldn't I be?"

He was subsequently flattened by Claus' weight, as the older boy had thrown himself down on the bed with him in a firm hug. The redhead nuzzled the other's neck. "Just making sure. Man, it took all my willpower not to freaking bear-hug the crap out of you back there."

Lucas chuckled, leaning into Claus' touch. "Well, it's the thought that c-counts," he replied, idly playing with a lock of his hair. "Why is it that we don't just t-tell your mom and be done with it? Hiding it is k-kind of exhausting."

Claus sat himself up, legs crisscrossed and hands in his lap. "Well, first off, she'd probably have a heart attack," he pointed out, dreading the idea of his parents resenting him. "And then we wouldn't be able to sleep together. That's a deal-breaker."

This Lucas laughed at. "I'm sure Hinawa wouldn't overreact to your b-_blatant_ homosexuality," he teased, raising a hand to ward off Claus' mock-hurt poke. "But I guess you have a p-point."

"Damn right I do." Claus' face fell back into a neutral position as he stared down at his bedmate. "But are you sure you're okay?"

Lucas' expression flickered for a moment before he settled on a taken aback look. "What? Yes, I'm f-_fine_, Claus," he answered, a tad too quickly. A frown placed itself on his lips. "Geez, it's like you think I'm a spineless w-wimp or something."

Claus knew there was something bothering him, something he wasn't letting on, but there was no point in pursuing the topic when he had such a facade on. So he let the conversation die. "I can never be too sure, bro."

"Oh, shut it." Well, at least he'd salvaged the with humor. Lucas flopped around once more, curling into his pillow. "So are you going to n-nap with me?"

Claus swung his legs off the side of the bed. "Nah, too suspicious. I think I'll doodle instead." He paused. "You wouldn't think it was creepy if I drew you while you slept, would you?"

Lucas' voice was muffled by the pillow covering his face partway. "Not unless you drew me without clothes or something."

Claus snapped his fingers. "Well, damn."

"C-Claus!"

A snigger. "Oh, c'mon now, you know I was kidding."

"_I can never be too sure, bro._"

"Hahah."

Twenty minutes later, Lucas was fast asleep and Claus had a (perfectly PG) nice sketch of a sleeping blonde to add to his little collection of doodles.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: I'M SORRYYY. LUKE IS SORRYYY. I blame my spastic, squirrel-like attention span on Skyward Sword. It's been so long since I last updated, and I give you a short(-ish I suppose) chapter. I feel like an ass. But, you got exposition. Fair trade, yes? No? ...yeah. And the ending is meh. Ffffuuuu-**_

But I digress. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. I appreciate them more than you think~

¡Nos vemos! C:


	17. Sunshine Forest Redux

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I love yahs~ ;u;**_

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: The idea of me owning Mother 3, or any of the Mother/EarthBound franchise, is silly. 'Course I don't.**_

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

"Mom. You sure you don't have anything you want us to work on? No errands to run or chores to do?"

Claus hovered behind his mother's shoulder, watching her wash dishes with mostly fake interest. Lucas sat at the dining table, head in his hand which was in turn propped up by his elbow as he stared into space with a blank expression on his face, like he wasn't listening to the goings on around him. Flint was sitting in the living room with the day's paper, chewing on a pencil and mulling over possible words in his head that would make the crossword puzzle work. Hinawa sighed.

"For the last time, Claus, I'm sure. If you're that bored, go find yourself a respectable job." She tutted when Claus half-scoffed, rinsing a glass off in the warm stream of water rushing out of the faucet. "And why is it you feel the need to volunteer Lucas as well? Lord knows you're capable of doing things on your own."

Claus crossed his arms, turning to walk away from his mother, question having been answered. "Because Lucas can't function without me at his side," he only half-joked, casting the blonde boy a glance as he passed. Lucas didn't seem to have heard, as his eyes were still far away, probably seeing things that weren't there or thinking about things he couldn't remember. Claus frowned slightly. He'd been worrying him lately, with all this distance. He was still in relatively good spirits, and still got along well with everyone, Claus included, but ever since the incident with Lucas' previous owner's visit and the following revelation, he'd been doing this. The whole space-out-and-ignore-everything-else thing. It was unnerving to Claus. He hadn't tried to talk about it much in the week since it'd begun, but he knew something was off, and it probably had something to do with stress or over-thinking things in his head. Bearing this in mind, Claus had devised a plan. Operation: Take Lucas to the Hot Springs in the Sunshine Forest...again. Even if it didn't exactly work, it certainly couldn't hurt.

But in order to do this, he wanted to make sure he nor Lucas would be needed for the majority of the day. So he walked over to Flint, whom did not look up from his newspaper. "What about you, dad? Nothing? No requests at all?"

Flint was silent for a moment, such a long moment that Claus was already thinking he was home free. "Well, I did need to pick up some feed for the sheep..." he began, but after seeing the look on Claus' face, the one that clearly told his father he was only being nice and didn't really want to help, he rethought what he was going to say. "But I can do that myself later, I suppose."

Claus smiled. "If you insist." He turned to his blonde friend. "Lucas, c'mere a second," he beckoned him up the stairs, to which he was already walking himself.

The shorter teen had spoken a bit louder than was necessary, so Lucas was snapped out of whatever kind of reverie he had been in; he shook his head a bit and blinked a couple of times. "Oh, s-sure," he replied, standing up a bit slowly before pushing his chair in and following Claus' lead, thinking he had a good idea of what exactly it was Claus wanted.

Once both boys were safely up the stairs and in Claus' room, Claus didn't do what Lucas had expected (some kind of spontaneous, random kiss, which Claus was quite fond of doing; Lucas would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy them as well). Instead, he turned on his heel to face the blonde. "Lucas, I have a proposition for you," he said, crossing his arms and putting on a semi-serious expression.

Lucas blinked, taken aback slightly. He had no idea what Claus could be going on about, but severely doubted it would be undesirable. As such, he walked closer to Claus, wearing a cautious, calculating mask. "Oh really?" He stopped an arm's length away from him. "Please, b-by all means, do tell."

Claus met his gaze. "You've been looking stressed lately. Let's go to the hot springs. They're relaxing enough, right? I'm sure they'll make you feel better." He paused. "Plus, I wanna get out of the house. Whaddya say?"

Lucas perked up at the mention of the hot spring. Truth be told, the blonde had been feeling a bit off lately, primarily due to his mind's tendency to over-think things to the extreme. Perhaps a trip to the hot springs was just what he needed, to calm his nerves and get him back on track. Claus being there with him would only be a plus. Thus Lucas smiled down at his good friend, nodding his head. "That sounds like a g-good idea. It'll be just like the last time we went; I remember f-feeling so refreshed after we left!"

Claus snorted. "Yeah, just like it except you're human now, not a dog. But I'm glad you dig the idea!" he laughed. "Now, there's one more thing." He leaned in close, standing on his toes to face Lucas evenly. The sly smile he wore made the blonde both roll his eyes and hope the other couldn't hear the slight increase of his heartbeat. "You're gonna have to kiss me and tell me how wonderful I am."

Lucas shook his head in mock exasperation but easily complied, snaking arms around the redhead's neck and pressing their lips together firmly, lingering just long enough to make Claus yearn for more. The blonde pulled away mischievously, letting their foreheads rest against one another. "You're the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to m-me," he breathed, his tone genuine.

Claus pouted. "Is that all? Really?" he whined, though he smiled good-naturedly afterwards and rubbed his nose against Lucas' affectionately. "You're so mean."

They remained standing like that for a minute, Lucas wrapped around Claus firmly, not quite willing to let go and Claus with arms circling the other boy's waist, definitely not at all willing to let go. But all good things must end, or so they say, and Claus eventually pulled away from the entanglement, turning toward their shared bathroom. "But I guess that'll have to do...for now." Lucas didn't miss the sinister grin Claus momentarily replaced with a solemn expression. "I'm gonna get us some towels, before we leave and I forget. Walking home in wet clothes isn't all that fun."

"Guess I'll have to t-trust you on that one," Lucas agreed, stepping over to where the big dresser was, not far from the door to the stairs on the same wall. "I'll get our swim trunks."

"What? No way," Claus interrupted his thoughts, voice both muffled and echoed by the tile in the bathroom. There were a few _THUNK_s as he opened and closed cabinets, presumably to locate some towels. "You don't wear swim suits to a hot spring, dummy. That defeats the purpose."

Lucas raised an eyebrow at the other teen as he reemerged from the bathroom, two fluffy white towels in hand. "And what might th-that purpose be?"

"To be at one with yourself and with nature."

"So you can't do that with c-clothes on?"

"Nope."

"I see."

Claus grinned. "Just trust me. The trunks'll only get in our way."

Lucas blinked a few times before his face turned red. "Wh-what?" he exclaimed more than asked, mind imagining a fair few steamy, sultry scenarios.

Claus also paused for a moment before he looked away, half-laughing and half-reprimanding. "Oh come on, dude, get your mind out of the gutter! I just meant it'll feel uncomfortable when you're in the hot water, that's all." He met Lucas' still-embarrassed gaze again, with an innocent smirk. "Unless there's something you'd _like_ to do~?"

Lucas rolled his eyes again, opting to approach the door that lead downstairs rather than grace his unspoken suggestion with an answer. "Let's just go."

"If you say so!" Claus laughed from behind, following him back down the stairs.

As the two trudged down and through the rather awkward space between the kitchen and living room to the front door of the house, Hinawa, who had just finished washing up the dishes, wiped her hands on a hand towel and stopped them verbally. "Hold on, boys. Where are you going, with towels?"

Claus stopped, Lucas also halting his progress forward. "Oh, we were just going to the hot springs for a little while. Did you want to come with us?"

Lucas went to give Claus a questioning look, but Hinawa merely shook her head. "No, but thank you for the offer. I think I'll tend to the flowers a bit today. You two don't stay out too late today, alright? Have fun."

Claus smiled at her. "Alright, we won't. Thanks."

When Claus closed the door behind them, trapping them outside in the mild sunshine and ever so slight accompanying breeze, Lucas raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you know she was g-going to say no?"

Claus laughed. "Yes."

"How?"

The redhead turned to wink at his blonde companion. "Dunno. Maybe I'm psychic?" he chuckled again, before throwing one of the towels at Lucas and breaking into a jog. "I'm feeling runny today. Race you to town!"

Lucas caught the fabric in his hand and replaced his unamused-albeit-slightly-impressed expression with a competitive smile. "You're a fool, Claus," he proclaimed as he also broke into a run. "I have the upper hand n-now that I'm used to this body, and I will use these long legs of mine to c-crush you!"

"I'm sure!" Claus called cheekily, and the two laughed at themselves as they sped toward the buildings in the distance.

_-asdfjkl;-_

The two ended up running all the way to the Sunshine Forest's entrance, which was about a mile and a half of total distance. Needless to say, Lucas was doubled over trying to regain his breath, panting like he was going to faint or something, and Claus wasn't doing much better beside him, arms held up in the air in an attempt to get more air into his lungs.

"That...was ssstupid," Lucas pointed out between pants, holding his right side.

"It was good exercise," Claus reminded him, letting his arms fall back to his sides. "Besides," he smirked, "I won the race."

It took a moment for Lucas to rise up and hit Claus in the side, only half-playfully. "Shut up. You cheated by trying to p-push me into the fountain."

Claus began to walk, wincing at Lucas' hit and laughing at the memory of him actually attempting to knock Lucas into the water pooled at the base of the fountain that stood in Tazmily's little shopping square. The blonde had only just managed to stay on his feet, though he did stumble enough to let Claus take the lead. "That was an accident."

He could practically feel the daggers Lucas glared at the back of his head. "I'm sure."

It became gradually cooler and darker the farther they ventured into the forest. Sunlight lazily filtered down from the small openings in the layer of greenery above and the breeze was lost between all the tree trunks, leaving the rather humid air around them stationary. One could see a few animals frolicking about here and there and hear birds chirping, but for the most part, the forest was silent.

That is, until they spotted whom else but Fuel walking toward them from the direction they were headed. As soon as the brunette noticed them he put on a smile, waving at them with one hand. "Hey guys," he said once they were close enough to one another. "What's up?"

Lucas waved back at him. "Hi, Fuel."

Claus shrugged his shoulders, left hand making a grab for the towel that hung on his left shoulder. "Nothin' much. Just going to the hot springs."

Fuel wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh really? That's hot."

Lucas' face reddened a bit despite himself and Claus rolled his eyes, pulling his towel off his shoulder and whapping Fuel with it a few times. Fuel was currently the only one who knew about the little relationship they had going on, and whenever he saw them together he always made some kind of jocular comment about it. "Shut up, dude. What are you doing here?"

Fuel grabbed Claus' towel and yanked it out of his hands, confiscating it momentarily. "Well, excuse me, princess, but I happen to live here. Plus, I had to borrow a cup of sugar from Issac."

Claus deadpanned, holding his hand out. "That's real cute."

Fuel frowned, giving him his towel back. "No, seriously." He held up what he had been carrying beside him; a measuring cup full of what looked like tiny white granulated chunks. "My dad's on this kick again where he thinks he can cook, so he's trying to make a cake." He sighed. "And I'm going to have to eat it."

Both other boys laughed. "Well, you could always suggest he take lessons from my mom," Claus pointed out between chuckles. "I'm sure she'd be happy to do it."

"Nah, I couldn't put your mom through that kind of trouble." He paused. "Plus he doesn't like people telling him what to do very much..."

Claus stroked his chin a few times. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Lucas couldn't help but be intrigued by their description of the brazen man he'd encountered that one day awhile ago, Lighter, whom was also Fuel's father. Having only met him once, and for a brief time at that, he had no clue what they went on about, really. He had seemed like a down-to-earth enough man. But again, he barely knew the guy, so he didn't have room to make such observations. He wanted to get to know him better, though; Fuel and Claus made him sound rather unintentionally amusing.

Fuel took a deep breath. "Well, I daresay I need to get going. Can't keep this little date of yours on hold for too long, can I?" he laughed as Claus went to smack him again. "See you guys," he began walking again, past Claus and eventually Lucas too, but not before he winked at the blonde mischievously. "Don't be too rough with him, now."

Lucas laughed, holding up a hand as he passed. "Gentle as possible, I promise," he joked back, their hands colliding in a high-five.

"Shut up and go bake your cake, Fuel," Claus called back, already having begun to walk forward, down the path that would ultimately take them to their destination. Lucas made haste to catch up with him, Fuel chuckling good-naturedly further behind them.

The duo headed further into the forest, silent and enjoying their serene surroundings. They passed by Isaac's house on the way, giving Lucas a hazy sense of deja vu as he remembered his previous trek in those parts. Which in turn spurred the recollection of memories back before he'd woken up in a strangely natural-feeling furless body and become more than just the family pet. _His dog days,_ he recalled with a sense of detached retrospection. He acknowledged the fact that he had been one, yes, but he didn't want to go back. Ever.

Lucas quite nearly ran into Claus' back when the latter stopped suddenly, having reached the secluded clearing that boasted the hot springs. The redhead stretched his arms out above his head. "And we've arrived!"

Lucas walked past him and towards the gently steaming water, fluffy towel around his neck as he began to unbutton his denim shorts. "Thank you, C-Captain Obvious," he teased, locating the spot that made getting into the hot spring the easiest.

Claus frowned, but followed him, taking off his shoes with his own feet. "And that's the thanks I get for taking you here. I'll remember that, ass," he countered, setting his towel on a rock nearby as he went to pull his shirt off.

It didn't take long for the two to strip down to their birthday suits. They piled their clothes on the same nearby rock before turning to the hot spring, Claus deciding he would go in first and test the water. Wading in up to his hips, he _hmm_'d for a moment before turning back to Lucas, a thumb in the air and a smile on his face. "'s all good, c'mon in." The smile turned almost sly when the blonde didn't quite meet his eyes, instead opting to hurry into the water. He laughed. "Now now, no need to be shy."

Lucas met his eyes as he stepped down from an incline his feet had found under the water. "It's not you I'm w-wary of," he pointed out, water lapping at his belly button. "It's strangers that just might pass b-by or something."

Claus backed himself up until he came into contact with the opposite rock wall surrounding the little pool of piping water. "Oh. I wouldn't really count on that; not many people use this thing."

Lucas wandered over to where he was, settling a little ways away from him on a rock shelf that jutted out a bit, allowing him to sit down and let the water rest just below his chin comfortably. "I wonder why that is," he said absently, accepting the warm water's soothing embrace.

Claus scoffed, sitting down as well. "I bet it has something to do with being in the forest. Lots of people can't stand the bugs, y'know? Pansies."

Lucas closed his eyes. "Mm."

They both lapsed into a lazy, nonchalant silence after that. Claus went to try and initiate another bit of conversation, but caught himself when he saw Lucas' eyes closed, his body slouched against the rock wall behind him, face about as relaxed as he'd ever seen it; he even seemed to glow slightly, though he was sure that was just his imagination. Claus didn't want to ruin the moment for him, so with a smile he closed his mouth and contented himself with simply gazing at the blonde, burning the image into his mind. _I'll have to draw this when we get back; it's too precious!_

Lucas stayed like that for a while. But contrary to what one might've believed had one been there and watched him sit there, he wasn't asleep. His mind was merely all but shut down, not thinking about anything particular besides how warm the water felt against his skin. After what could have been just a few minutes or half an hour (because who was counting, really?), he deemed it a wise move to turn himself around and lay his body over the surrounding rocks, so that his front rested on cool, smooth stone from just above his nipples down. It was a position that let his back rest a bit, which was more than welcome. Lucas let his cheek rest on the surface of the rock, exhaling almost automatically. His guard was down, however, so when he felt something touching his side he jumped a mile, body shooting back from his sudden movement. "_Hwaah_!"

He hit Claus' front with a watery _PLISHMACK_. The redhead chuckled, continuing to put his arms around Lucas' middle until both his hands met each other again, holding him loosely but firmly. "Don't have a heart attack, Luke, it's just me," he assured, resting his chin on Lucas' shoulder.

Lucas huffed, looking down at him with a mildly irritated expression. "Scaring people half to d-death isn't funny, you know," he stated matter-of-factly, though he looked away as he put his hands over Claus', keeping them there. "Could've k-killed me."

Claus nuzzled his face into Lucas' neck. "We can't have that, now can we?" he mock-cooed. "You just looked so relaxed and cute that I _had_ to do something."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Thanks, I guess."

They cuddled like that for a minute, lost in the foreign yet not entirely unappealing feeling of each other's bare skin rubbing together. Claus was already enjoying his decision to come in the first place, while Lucas had been for a while, mind still a bit blank but body more relaxed than it had been in quite some time. They both put on stupid smiles, each perfectly happy.

It was around that time that Claus heard a swishing noise, sounding like it came from far off somewhere. He ignored it, thinking it was just some animal somewhere, until it became louder and louder, like it was coming closer. By that time Lucas had noticed too, and the two exchanged confused glances before looking in the direction of said noise, detaching themselves in the process. The ground began to rumble slightly, causing them to back away a bit anxiously. The branches in front of them began to shake and move, and the two tensed, wondering what the hell could be big enough to disturb the at least ten foot high tree tops like that.

When they laid eyes on what ended up emerging, they both gasped, eyes wider than one might've thought possible.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: PLISHMACK. Man, I really need to stop with the making up sound effects thing. It sounds kinda lame. xD**_

WHAT CLIFFHANGER, WHAT. Any guesses on what our boys be seein'? I swear, I think the next chapter will have you all screaming at me, or at least shaking your heads in disapproval. I've had this idea since the beginning, and over the months it's become less and less appealing...but it's what I planned, so I'm sticking to it. It's gonna blow your minds.

ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT, GUYS. I'm excited to be this close to finishing a multi-chap EB fic. It'll be the first, mind you~

By the way, if you haven't already, go vote in the poll on my profile (if you read any of my other EB fics, anyway, but even if you don't you can always support this one~)! I'd appreciate it immensely.

That's about it for now, though. Leave a review telling me what ha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Onegaishimasu.

To be continued! C:  



	18. The Ultimatum

_**A/N: I'm sorry, okay? I am sorry. I am a whore and I deserve to be slapped with a smelly fish. -holds up a dead tuna- Any takers?**_

_**DISCLAIMER: No, you sillies.**_

_**—****s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—t—**e**—r—_

Standing within the thick brush beside the hot spring was what appeared to be a giant man. Nearly taller than the surrounding trees, he was dressed rather well, with nice grey pants and a grey blazer on his person; though it wasn't much of an issue compared to his sudden appearance, they couldn't help but wonder where he'd managed to find clothes that fit his incredibly stretched form. Wispy white hair peeked out from under a brown hat, and he had a mustache and a pair of small glasses covering his small, beady eyes. The intimidating height aside, he looked rather well-mannered, as far as things went.

He bent to his knees from where he stood, and that brought him very close indeed; almost to the very edge of the hot spring, in fact. He looked upon them almost studiously, eyes flying from one boy to another before finally settling on the blonde. He then took his hat off and bowed his torso a bit. "Good day," he greeted quite genially.

The two managed to hide their utter bewilderment for a moment. "H-h-hello," Lucas stammered, having time to become a little embarrassed, having been seen in the hot spring without his clothes on by a stranger. He sunk deeper into the water, so that only his neck could be seen.

Claus was more confident, though marginally so. "Hiya," he replied, wading closer to Lucas and resting a comforting hand on his back. The boy leaned into his touch. "What can we do for you?"

To his surprise, the giant began to chuckle, the sound of it reverberating through the stone they were surrounded by. "Well, I'm glad you asked," he said, and his tone told the two that he was telling the truth. "But I must thank you for not freaking out. Most would be more than a bit...put off by my appearance."

Claus smiled. "I wonder why? You seem like quite the dapper, educated man."

The man seemed pleased by the ease with which Claus regarded him as he put his hat back on, smiling all the while. "I try, my boy." He then turned his gaze upward. "But I am not here to idly chat, as fun as the prospect sounds. You see, I have many things to tell you," he said, looking now toward Lucas, whom snapped to attention. "The one who was once a dog."

Lucas gasped. "H-how did you know th-that?" he asked incredulously. As far as he was aware, no one knew about his former form, save for Claus and his family.

He closed his eyes. "There is much I know about you that you yourself cannot even begin to remember," he said at length, only further piquing Lucas' interest. "But I suppose I should start with a little information about myself, so that this is a tad less confusing."

"That would be nice," Claus remarked, though his tone wasn't condescending.

The giant nodded. "Indeed. Well, believe it or not, I am what you would call a fairy. Though I don't look at all like one in a traditional sense."

The two boys in the water just stared up at him, Lucas wide-eyed and Claus with a raised eyebrow. "Forgive us for not believing you," the redhead began, "but could you, uh...elaborate? Or maybe prove it?" Of course playing along was the wisest course of action. "Where are your wings and fairy dust?"

This actually made the man chuckle again. "I do recall saying not in the traditional sense," he reminded, making Claus shrug in response. "But I understand your doubt. How shall I prove it to you, I wonder..." Briefly he pondered this before deciding to raise his hand and point to a nearby tree. Within seconds the thing was glowing green and suddenly dozens upon dozens of pink flowers began to bloom, filling the air with a sweet scent.

Lucas could not help his oohing in awe. Claus blinked a few times before slowly clapping, the sound harsh as his wet hands collided. "I'm sorry for doubting you," he revoked his previous statement. "But a fairy? Wow, that's something."

Lucas returned his gaze to the alleged fairy in front of him. "What's your n-name?" he asked a little quietly. Surely a name might help him remember something, since the guy seemed to know him from before.

He smiled, his face wrinkling up in amusement. "I don't think it will ring any bells, dear child, but my name is Leder." He bowed again. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

And he was right; Lucas did not recall the name from anything. Claus, however, was a different story. His face was the epitome of realization and his limbs flailed in the water almost comically, trying to say too much for his mouth to keep up with. "Oh! I think I know you! Leder the bellringer, right? My mom told me stories about you when I was little! You used to stand by the bell tower that used to be in the Tazmily crossroads!"

Leder seemed pleased by Claus' connection. "Why yes, that was me! My, I didn't think anyone would remember me after so long." He shook his head. "I never did have to ring that bell, though, not once. And when they knocked my tower down to expand the town, well, I simply took to the forests. No one except the animals out here, and they don't judge me for my height." He winked at them.

Claus looked wistful on the man's behalf. "That's cold..." he muttered.

Lucas shifted in the water, standing upright again due to the dull pain in his back from squatting awkwardly. "What is it that a f-fairy does, anyway?" he asked, honestly curious. One did not just come across fairies everyday.

Leder pushed his glasses up his nose a little. "Well, that depends on what kind of fairy you are," he said, chuckling. "But I won't bore you with those details. I'll get to answering that question as we go, but I must make sure of something." He gave the redhead a glance. "Is it alright if the other boy stays? I have some very personal things to tell you of yourself, after all."

Claus blinked, realizing that the Leder man was suggesting Lucas be alone for this. But as he contemplated giving Lucas space and leaving, Lucas grabbed his hand underwater and squeezed tightly. "O-of course. He's my family."

The giant smiled. "He is now, to be sure." The expression didn't last for very long, as the happiness faded from his face. "Alright then. Please save your questions for the end, and I shall do my best to recount your tale."

"You were born a healthy boy to two loving parents by the names of Ike and Delaney Thompson up in New Pork City. They loved you and took care of you, just like all good parents do. You lived a sheltered and comfortable childhood, around friends and responsible adults. You were smart, outgoing, and looked up to by your peers. This was your life for fourteen years."

Lucas just stared up at the man, who had closed his eyes to avoid any distractions. As weird as it sounded, it felt like his memories were being restored as Leder talked; he remembered his parents' faces, the house he'd lived in, his friends, his school, his old life. Claus merely listened on intently beside him.

"Three months after you turned fourteen, in September, there was a horrible car accident in which both your parents perished. Having been too young to inherit anything from your parents, the bank seized the house and most of your family's belongings, forcing you out of your own home. You were sent to live with your aunt and uncle on the outskirts of New Pork."

Claus looked over worriedly when he felt Lucas shaking beside him. The boy remembered that, too; the heart-wrenching grief that had befallen him when he'd been informed of his parents' death. He wiped at his eyes a bit uselessly with wet hands, but held his composure to hear the rest of his past.

"Your only living relatives, your Aunt Susan and Uncle Fae, were poor. Not only were you unused to living in such desolate conditions, you were an extra mouth to feed, having been added to an already rather excessive total of five kids. Your new family struggled, and you, being the oldest of the lot, assumed it was your fault.

"As such, you decided you'd run away, to relieve them of the burden. Leaving a note on their fridge, you really did leave, with only the clothes on your back. You went from establishment to establishment, trying to find employment somewhere, anywhere, to support yourself. But no one wanted to hire a fourteen-year-old sob story like yourself, and thus you never found a job."

Lucas remembered that, too. Running from store to store, trying to appear hardworking and trustworthy, but being turned down every single time. He couldn't have kept burdening his aunt and uncle like that, though. He had been old enough to take care of himself.

"You grew frustrated, and eventually left New Pork entirely, seeking a fresh new life in the rural Tazmily. You entered Murasaki Forest, knowing it was the fastest route, but neglected to follow the path. You became hopelessly lost, and spent days wandering around in wide circles, at first trying to find your way out but then just trying to find water or food. Luck was not with you, and you found neither."

The blonde could feel the insatiable hunger and hopeless fear like it was happening to him right at that moment. He remembered praying like his parents had taught him, only to find those prayers unanswered and himself worse off in the end. He sank deeper into the water, into Claus' comforting hold. He wasn't sure he wanted to remember this past of his anymore.

"Eventually you collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Completely drained, you simply laid your head in your arms and cried, begging God to 'just come and take you already!'" Leder paused here, opening his eyes. "That was how I found you, nearly dead in the underbrush. I knew that what you would call 'fate' had led me to you, so I quickly set to work. I am a Savior Fairy, and as such I have a duty to bestow a second chance at life upon any I come across who are in dire need of it. You fit that description quite well at that moment. So I took away your previous memories, turned you into a canine, and invoked a spell on you, one of ancient origins; when you came to meet the person you were destined to spend your life with, one kiss shared with them would disengage your dog form, returning you to your former state of being."

Lucas blinked before he turned to Claus with a red face that had nothing to do with the heat of the hot spring, remembering that one night that seemed so long ago now. So that had been the cause...

Claus scoffed a bit, seemingly unembarrassed by Leder's explanation. "Seriously? That so cliche, like something you'd read in a sappy novel or fairy tale."

Leder grinned. "It is a tried and true method. Worked out for the two of you, now didn't it?"

The two blushed, but inched closer to one another all the same.

"Either way, that is the story of how you came to be the dog you were up until two months ago. Usually, I do not reveal myself to those I have helped, nor do I tell them their histories, so they are able to live their new life guilt-free. But some interesting things have happened in your absence, and I figured I would give you a choice about your future." He cleared his throat. "Your aunt and uncle are searching for you. They were pained by your disappearance, but knew they didn't have the resources to take proper care of you. Since you've run away, your relatives have run into a very large sum of money inherited from your aunt's side. They would like to reclaim you and put you through secondary schooling, like your parents would have done for you were they alive."

Lucas' throat clenched. Secondary school had always been a goal for him throughout his childhood; he'd wanted so badly to be a doctor, he remembered. And then there was the fact that he felt bad for worrying them like he had. They'd loved him just like his parents had, but he had taken that for granted and left with little more than a hastily-written note on the fridge. He wanted to see them again, to apologize and tell them that he was alright, that he loved them too and appreciated them.

But then he remembered Claus' presence beside him, the hand resting on his back. Claus. Hinawa and Flint. Tazmily. The place he'd come to know as home over the past few months, and the people he'd come to love so dearly. They had been there for him when he'd desperately needed them. There was no way he could just leave, was there? He owed them so much more than that.

Claus looked down at Lucas, expression worried. Just what was he thinking about? They'd sat in silence for what felt like ages now. "Lucas?" he asked, gently moving his hand up his back to touch his shoulder. "You...okay?"

Suddenly Lucas started to move, his face hard and resolute. "Yeah, fffine." He faced Leder. "Thank you for t-telling me all this. I think I know what I'm g-going to do."

Claus was dumbfounded by his boyfriend's straightforwardness, and it was only after Lucas was out of the hot spring entirely and halfway done putting his clothes back on that he scrambled to follow suit. "Lucas? What do you mean, you know what you're doing?" he demanded, getting water everywhere as he slashed out of the water, not caring that Leder was still there, watching them.

Lucas didn't respond, instead focusing on getting his shirt on as he walked away. He didn't know how his future was going to play out just yet, nor did he want to know. He only knew that there was only one option at that point, really. Leder's insight meant the world to him, but so did his life here. There was a serious choice to be made, one that needed to be made right there, right then.

This was the ultimatum.

_**—****e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —_

_**A/N: YEAH. I DID JUST GO THERE. -completely and utterly destroyed-**_

_**Poor Leder, he was just kind of ignored there at the end. :C No love for the fairy.**_

_**But, uh, yeah. The sad, cliche as hell backstory is finally revealed. How many of you want to stab me? Just keep in mind that I love you and Lucas still loves Claus. That's all that matters. :'D**_

_**And you know what I noticed? Chapter Fourteen (which, for those who don't remember, is the chapter where Claus and Lucas are dry humping each other) literally has the most views of any chapter other than the first by almost double. YOU NAUGHTY READERS YOU.**_

_**I'm really tired right now. It's like one o'clock in the morning and I have to get up at five thirty. FFFF. I'll probably post this tomorrow, then. Aka 05.23.12.**_

_**Drop me a review? I appreciate them, you know. I may not reply, 'cause I'm a lazy bitch, but it's the nice thing to do. So do it. Please.**_

_**TO BE CONCLUDED . . .**_


	19. The Best Choice

_**A/N: -epic fanfare- BEHOLD THE THRILLING CONCLUSION TO YOUR FAVORITE FANFIC FEATURING A TRANSFORMING LUCAS AND FAIRY!LEDER—Puppy Love. I don't own anything, and there's nothing here that hasn't been in a previous chapter somewhere.**_

No further bullshit. Let's do this. -dons shades-

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—t—**e**—r—

Claus was jogging after Lucas as soon as he'd pulled his underwear back on his person; all other articles of clothing could be pulled on haphazardly as he followed, heart beating almost frantically. "Lucas? _Lucas_!"

The blonde stopped, much to Claus' relief. He had everything but his shirt on by the time he caught up with him. "Lucas, what are you thinking?" he asked, trying to look into his boyfriend's eyes.

Lucas did not return his gaze, instead opting to continue walking at a pace that wasn't walking, but not quite jogging either. "I...I'm not sure, C-Claus. That was a lot of i-information to take in."

Claus was understanding of him at first, nodding slowly. "Yeah, you've got a point. If I were you I'd be completely confused."

But as a nascent silence ensued, made tense by Lucas' troubled demeanor, Claus began to realize that Lucas' indecision hurt him somewhat. Sure, that was his family and his past...but he had them now. Them being Claus and Hinawa and Flint, plus everyone he knew in Tazmily. They'd taken him in, accepting what he was and expecting nothing in return except mutual respect. The fact that he actually had to think this over was kind of a slap to the face. That family had never come looking for him until now, albeit for a reasonable cause. Claus would do almost anything for Lucas, and he knew that his parents felt the same way.

What if that Leder had never come and told Lucas all this stuff? Claus knew it was selfish, but he almost wished that he'd never come in the first place. Then Lucas would have no reason or incentive to leave. Lucas would be here, with him. His.

But, then it hit him. Lucas was his own person. Claus did not own him. Claus had no right to tell Lucas what he could or could not do. His relatives only wanted to do for Lucas what his parent never had the chance to do. They wanted the best for him. Why didn't Claus? It was so clear now, without his blind resentment and affection clouding his common sense.

Lucas _had_ to go. He deserved it.

As they trekked through town en route to the house, with people giving Claus funny looks on account of his shirt still sitting balled in his fist as he lost himself in thought, the redhead nodded his head in solemn acceptance. If Lucas chose to leave and pursue a productive future, then Claus would support him all the way.

The only thing that put Claus off was how quiet Lucas was during the return trip; not only did they feel distant, but Lucas didn't even attempt to talk anything over or even look in his direction. His gaze was always focused somewhere in the distance. Claus couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head, though he kept his mouth shut; he trusted Lucas enough that he knew the blonde would talk to him soon. He just needed some time to think.

And just like that, they were back at the house. When they entered, Hinawa greeted them cheerfully. "Welcome back, you two. Claus, honey, don't tell me you walked through town like that! You silly boy." But when she noticed the mood shared amongst them, the palpable sense of discord, her expression fell a bit to match. "...is something the matter?" Even Flint, whom sat in the living room reading the newspaper, looked up in response.

Claus wasn't sure what to say, so he looked to gauge Lucas' expression to decide whether or not he'd lie. Lucas didn't give him the chance. "S-sort of...I guess. At least, there's sssomething I need to talk to you a-about. Could you, u-uhm, sit down?"

Hinawa nodded. "Of course, dear," she said, sensing the magnitude of the situation with her feminine intuition. She took a seat beside Flint on the sofa, waiting patiently as the two boys shared a look before following suit and sitting on the floor opposite them on the other side of the table.

Lucas cleared his throat. Claus found himself shaking despite his earlier resolve. He was fairly sure of which choice Lucas would choose, the sensible choice, but he wasn't sure if he could handle hearing it. Any amount of time away could really change a person, for better or for worse. Would their relationship end? Would he visit? Would he cut all ties? Claus had to clench his fists together to keep from showing his uncertainty.

"W-well, we went to the hot springs, just like w-we said we would, and while we were th-there, we met an...uh, an interesting g-guy." He paused here, losing some of his confidence and slouching a bit.

Claus nodded, deciding that he'd at least help Lucas with his delivery of this exciting tale. "Yeah, no kidding. I doubt you guys'll believe this."

Hinawa giggled despite herself. "Well, we've heard the dog-turning-into-a-human story, remember? If this can top that, I'll be surprised."

Lucas scratched the back of his neck. "He, uhm, claimed that he was a f-fairy by the name of Leder and told m-me he was the one who t-turned me into said dog."

Flint, who had up until this point been listening with a more or less neutral expression, now blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow. "Get out of town."

Claus sighed. "Nope, he's completely serious."

Hinawa gasped. "Leder? As in, our Leder? The extremely tall, well-dressed man?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

Claus leaned on the table's edge. "I even commented on having heard stories about him when I was little, and he got all reminiscent on us."

Hinawa took this in with an unreadable expression. "Fascinating. And Leder, did he explain anything? About why he turned you into that dog in the first place? That must mean you'd been a human at one point before!"

Lucas hesitated before nodding, his expression having gone back to it's tentative, guilt-like look. "Yeah, he d-did. When he went through it all, I began r-remembering things too, like he was l-lifting a spell he'd put on me or sssomething."

"So you..."

"...remember everything, yeah."

She smiled at him. "That's wonderful, dear," she half-cheered, clapping her hands together.

Lucas gave her a half-hearted smile in return. "Yeah, th-thanks." As soon as it came, though, it vanished, and Lucas continued. "But it's not just that s-simple."

Hinawa cocked her head to the side. "Hmm?"

"Well, m-my parents died in an accident, and I was l-left with my aunt and uncle to t-take care of me." He sighed aloud.

Hinawa's face instantly fell. "Th...that's _horrible_," she murmured, raising a hand to rest at her lips.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Mm. They were poor, and I was only a-an extra mouth to feed. So I, er, ran a-away, thinking I could t-take care of myself. And nearly got m-myself killed in the process. But Leder told me th-that they recently came into a lot of m-money, and that they want to p-put me through more school." His eyebrows had furrowed thoroughly by this point, expression a mix between guilt and anticipation.

The woman blinked a few times. "More school? You must be from New Pork, then," she gasped. "Good heavens, isn't that serendipitous? You're going to see them then, right?"

Lucas started and stared at Hinawa with wide, almost disbelieving eyes. Claus merely regarded her with awe. She'd immediately realized that this was Lucas' choice. "W-well, I was planning to, y-yes," he answered, looking at his hands. "I...I'm gonna take them u-up on their offer."

Hinawa smiled slightly. "That's good, dear," she praised, one of her hands wandering over to Flint's and interlocking. "You'll be able to make something of yourself in the big city!"

Lucas smiled shakily too. "Mhmm. I want to b-be a doctor."

"That's wonderful!"

Claus wanted to feel proud of Lucas, too, but he couldn't help but ask one certain question. "Lucas," he began, looking at the table's wood finish, "how long does secondary schooling take?"

He couldn't see Lucas' expression. "Anywhere from four to eight years."

At this Claus' head snapped up to face his blonde companion with horror. Eight _years_? That was like an _eternity_. And the entire situation was like a strange nightmare; Lucas was just going to up and leave for four years, at the _very_ least...Claus was fairly sure he couldn't handle that. But judging by the look of despair in Lucas' eyes, neither could he. And Claus wasn't sure when it happened or whom initiated it, but one moment they were a full foot or so apart and the next they were locked in a tight embrace, Lucas rubbing circles on Claus' back.

A couple of laughs heard from in front of them couldn't even drive them apart. "Oh, boys," Hinawa giggled softly. "It isn't as if you'll never see each other again!"

"Sh-she's right," Lucas agreed, pulling away enough to look Claus in the eyes, face set in a heartfelt gaze. "I'll come visit. Often." He then blinked and looked at Claus' parents a bit sheepishly. "If that's o-okay with you, of course."

Hinawa gave him an almost reprimanding look. "Oh, Lucas, don't tell me that was serious! You can come back as often as you'd like," she insisted, giving him one of those radiant smiles of hers.

"You're welcome here anytime," Flint added, nodding his head minutely.

Their kindness never ceased to touch Lucas. He didn't even realize he was crying until he felt something wet dripping off his cheek and onto his exposed knee. He half-laughed at himself, wiping at his eyes with the backs of his hands. "S-sorry. You're just t-too kind, and I dunno how I c-can ever repay you g-guys..."

Claus grabbed his wrists and gently tugged them away, instead leaning in to give him the lightest of kisses. "Stupid. You repay us by making the most of your life."

Lucas stared at him with wide eyes; not on account of what he'd done, but rather in front of whom. "H-huh?"

Claus laughed. "You're leaving. It doesn't matter anymore. Just stop crying; I hate it when you're sad."

A glance over to the sofa revealed a beaming Hinawa and an indifferent Flint, neither of whom looked particularly surprised. "I was afraid you'd leave before either of you decided to tell us!" she giggled. "You realize you two aren't very incognito."

Claus shrugged. "Well, no shame in it. I just didn't want you to kick Lucas out of my room or something."

"Nonsense. If anyone, I'd have kicked you out!" Another laugh. "But Claus is right; if you feel like you have to repay us, just live your life to its fullest!"

Lucas blinked a few times before smiling back at her, relieved. They accepted his decision, they accepted him and Claus, and they loved him like a second son. This family of his...he _loved_ them. "Okay."

_-asdfjkl;-_

It was a sunny, albeit rather cold, day. Birds chirped in the distance and a lazy breeze caressed the land as people bustled around, either as employees or as simple passengers trying to catch the train. As it happens, this was Lucas' train to New Pork, and the final call had been made just a few seconds prior.

"Lucas, dear, have a good time!" Hinawa waved to the two boys by the train's entrance, donning a dark grey sweater to shield her from the afternoon's chilliness. "Be sure to write as soon as you get there!" Flint merely nodded at the blonde from Hinawa's side; they'd hugged earlier.

Lucas laughed. "Thanks, and I-I will!" he called in return, then giving the redhead in front of him his full attention. "Well, this is it."

Claus half-smiled up at him. "Indeed."

"I wonder if you'll have grown any taller the next time I see you?" Lucas wondered aloud, earning himself a playful punch from his boyfriend.

The shorter boy then rather begrudgingly gave Lucas the kiss he leaned down for. "Shut up. And you better not forget about me and fall for some other guy or girl, alright?"

Lucas laughed again. "Of course not, darling. You're the only one for me." He stepped back onto the train then, his carry on bag slung across his shoulder. "I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?"

"You better." Claus stood there in his hoodie and jeans until the train began to move, and Lucas was slowly pulled away from him. He walked with him a few steps before coming to a stop, waving goodbye himself. "I..I love you!"

Lucas smiled, though Claus could barely see it at that point. "I love you more!" he yelled, waving to both him and Hinawa. "See you soon!"

Claus continued to wave until the train had receded into the tunnel a few kilometers ahead. He felt hands on his shoulders, and his mother's voice was in his ear. "And there he goes. I can't wait to see how much he's grown the next time we see him!" she giggled.

Claus just smiled and leaned back into her hold. Was he sad? Well, sure. He wouldn't get to see Lucas everyday anymore. No more kisses, no more casual outings (read: dates), no more waking up next to his partner. This was his first relationship, sure, but he was confident in Lucas. They loved each other. That itself was strong enough to keep them together in spirit.

What he predominantly felt, on the other hand, was excitement. Excitement for Lucas' opportunity. Excitement for the next time they'd meet. Excitement for their future...

The future they'd share together.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**f**—**i**—**c**—**t**—**i**—**o**—**n** —

_**A/N: Oh my God.**_

It's totally done. -is terribly excited- First EarthBound chapter fic that I've completed! Sweet.

And I'd just like to thank you guys. Seriously. Your support has completely blown me away. -bows deeply- I'm happy you enjoyed this! And if you didn't, well...I'm sorry. Tell me why you didn't like it!

Also, I'd like to state that I can definitely see a sequel to this fic; six year time skip, Lucas and Claus _**living together, adopting a kid, y'know, that kind of thing. But that won't be written for a (probably very) long time. Unless I drop Captivity and leave the other two C/L fics as one-shots, lmao. And no M chapter, because I don't want to rate the entire fic M for one damn chapter. -shrug- plus it's against ffnet's ToS, trololol.**_

But there you have it. Feel free to leave any final thoughts or suggestions or whatever. Thank you for reading~ I love you all! :'D

_**おわり **__**(The End.)**_


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